Viral Poem

This is the good kind of viral — a poem, making the rounds on social media, that can uplift anyone affected or infected by coronavirus:

"When this is over, may we never again take for granted

A handshake with a stranger

Full shelves at the store

Conversations with neighbors

A crowded theater

Friday night out

The taste of communion

A routine checkup

The school rush each morning

Coffee with a friend

The stadium roaring

Each deep breath

A boring Tuesday

Life itself.

When this ends

may we find

that we have become

more like the people

we wanted to be

we were called to be

we hoped to be

and may we stay

that way — better

for each other

because of the worst."

Who wrote the poem?

The author, Laura Kelly Fanucci, a Minnesota resident, writes a syndicated column, “Faith at Home,” published in Catholic newspapers nationwide and has written six books.

She didn't mention "coronavirus," "virus" or "pandemic" once in this poem. Did you notice? Probably not. Anyone who reads it will know what the "this" in "when this is over" is.

Author Laura Kelly Fanucci (Photo: Twitter)

But she may have mentioned everything you'll never take for granted again once we're past all of "this."

The poem has already been shared thousands of times on social media. 

Fanucci told the Caller-Times via email that she has been amazed by the response to her poem.

"At this point it's been shared over 83,000 times on Facebook and 48,000 times on Instagram, as far as I can track," she wrote. "So it's certainly struck a chord (although it feels strange to call something "viral" in this present crisis). I've seen it translated into several languages and have been asked for permission to reprint it in countless places.

"The words came to me in the middle of the night. Our youngest child is only 3 weeks old so I'm up with him at all hours. Everything feels darker and more frightening at night, so I started wondering what small good I could offer to people as a writer. Since then, it took on a life of its own. I've simply been sitting back and watching. Hoping it offers people some hope and comfort in such an anxious time."