The Love that grew from the COVID

What happens to The Love That Grew from the COVID?
Does it continue to thrive as people walk around it and nurture with continued acts of kindness?
Does it get trampled on when people go back to their normal routines?
Bear with me for a moment as I attempt to compare COVID-19 to Concrete before I dissect 2Pac’s words and Nikki’s beautiful interpretation of it.
During this required social distancing phase of the fight against COVID-19, we have had unprecedented opportunities to grow deeper in love with our spouses, children, parents, and extended family. We have witnessed heroic efforts from health care professionals and first responders. We have also witnessed the ugly face of racism here in the states and around the world as people of African descent. African immigrants are being mistreated in China where officials have warned citizens to be fearful of foreigners. Sons of African decedents have been hunted by “Black fearing” citizens or over-aggressive law enforcement officers. We have also witnessed the disparity of a blind disease that attacks the venerable elderly or people with pre-existing health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. COVID-19 represents the challenge that we all must face, but like concrete, it can either provide a pathway to a new destination or a barrier that is designed to prevent overgrowth.
The Rose that grew out of the COVID represents “Love”. Love like the Rose is a thing of beauty and can be both delicate and dangerous. The thorns are there to protect the rose from animals that are attracted to their fragrant smells. The Rose has always served as a symbol of one’s love for another person.

You try to plan something during COVID.
Know what I mean?
If it goes through, and the plans get changed and the original plans had to change and did not achieve the same effect, you not going to say. “Damn look at how our plans got f..cked up.”
You going to be like. “Damn, we still had fun despite the COVID.”.
Know what I mean?
I have grown from the experience of being isolated with my family and forced to not embrace friends or shake my neighbor’s hand. Instead of saying, “Damn, COVID killed these many blacks and these many whites.” We will look back and say, “Damn, we came through all of that longing for human touch.”
Know what I mean?
All the trouble to survive and make good out of the dirty, nasty COVID pandemic, we are just trying to make it through.
What will happen to The Love that Grows Out of COVID?

Just like the rose, our love for humankind will prevail. The light that this pandemic has shown how health disparities, wealth disparities, and information disparities can hurt us, we will all be better for the knowledge. Hopefully, the acts of a few racists will not overshadow the efforts of everyday heroes to save lives. Hopefully, scientists will find a cure and develop plans to close the gap in the health divide, wealth divide, and information divide.
Know what I mean?
“God is Good All the Time. All the time, God is Good.”
Corky Wicks
May 10, 2020

Poet Nikki Giovanni penned the following words based on the autobiography of Tupac Shakur. [2Pac Shakur]

You try to plant somethin in the conrete, y’knowhatImean? If it GROW, and the and the rose petal got all kind of Scratches and marks, you not gon’ say, “Damn, look at All the scratches and marks on the rose that grew from concrete” You gon’ be like, “Damn! A rose grew from the concrete?!” Same thing with me, y’knahmean?

I grew out of all of this Instead of sayin, “Damn, he did this, he did this,” Just be like, “DAMN! He grew out of that? He came out of that?” That’s what they should say, y’knowhatImean? All the trouble to survive and make good out of the dirty, nasty Y’knowhahatImean unbelievable lifestyle they gave me I’m just tryin to make somethin..

[Nikki Giovanni] When no one even cared The rose it grew from concrete Keepin all these dreams Provin nature’s laws wrong It learned how to walk without havin feet It came from concrete [spoken part] Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Provin nature’s laws wrong it learned how to walk without havin feet Funny it seems but, by keepin its dreams It, learned to breathe FRESH air Long live the rose that grew from concrete When no one else even cared No one else even cared.. The rose that grew from concrete