~jennifer a.
In every community
there spans a chasm wide
between the haves, and the have nots:
those who have Hope. and those who have not
while some would argue that we are defined
by those who have money and those who have not
I tell you this:
I have been stripped of all I own
I have been deprived of what I hold dear
I have lost those I had cherished
and yet
I still possess a vast wealth
upon which no value can be laid
and for which no price can be paid
for
inside me thrives a resilient Hope
it has not be cut down
it cannot be fettered
it shall not be uprooted
so
if we each, who possess such a Hope,
would offer even a portion to those who have none
what a great and glorious transformation would occur—
consider what reconciliation might then resound
envision what futures might then flourish
imagine what dreams might then dawn
for
we must dream, because if we don’t, we will despair
we must remember, because if we don’t, we will not learn
we must write, because if we don’t, we will stay silent
we must listen, because if we don’t, we will forget
we must act, because if we don’t, we will become complacent
we must Hope, because if we don’t, we will whither
so
let us plant Hope lavishly throughout our communities
Hope in the seeds of Knowledge, Art, Culture, and Music
Hope in the seeds of Healing, Restoration, Empathy, and Compassion
Hope in the seeds of Justice, Peace, Vision, and Integrity
for
if we desire to harvest Hope, then it is Hope we must sow
