Praise be the nurses and doctors, every medical staff bent over flesh to offer care,
for lives saved and lives lost, for showing up either way,
Praise for the farmers, tilling soil, planting seeds so food can grow, an act of hope if ever there was,
Praise be the janitors and garbage collectors, the grocery store clerks,
and the truck drivers barreling through long quiet nights,
Give thanks for bus drivers, delivery persons, postal workers,
and all those keeping an eye on water, gas, and electricity,
Blessings on our leaders, making hard choices for the common good, offering words of assurance,
Celebrate the scientists, working away to understand the thing that plagues us, to find an antidote, all the medicine makers, praise be the journalists keeping us informed,
Praise be the teachers, finding new ways to educate children from afar,
and blessings on parents holding it together for them,
Blessed are the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, all those who worry for their health,
praise for those who stay at home to protect them,
Blessed are the domestic violence victims, on lock down with abusers, the homeless and refugees,
Praise for the poets and artists, the singers and storytellers,