Reflections on Not Losing Hope
Through countless window glasses
smoke rises
from fires still burning across our land
and I awoke to the images of the crocus
and the Luna moth,
isolated yet filled,
each with their own brand of hope,
propelling them towards the unknown,
towards the light they know not,
yet will reign in the brilliance of.
So, I rise
and squinting my eyes
as these days require,
I resolve
to be not overwhelmed
by the dark chaos
but to focus on the phosphorescence
I remember exists
all around us,
as it did in my daughter’s eyes
as she sat long ago
between rows of strawberries,
tiny bucket between her chunky toddler legs,
savoring the ruby sweetness
she eagerly shoved
into her tiny rose mouth,
one by one, uncaring
as their sticky nectar dripped
down her angelic chin
and her smile, as forever
was my sun.
I alone am not able
to quiet the raging storms,
but today
I will delight in strawberries
and shine.
For it is in doing so
that we lead the way
for others to pleasure,
not in havoc and hatred
but in the harmony
and phosphorescent honey of life.
CRR 1–12–20
