
Painting Hope by Rachel Steely
Hope is a butterfly
that flies inside.
Somewhere,
between our panic
and our euphoria,
it circles our heart,
soars high in the middle,
and stays part of us,
while it wings and glides.
We know if it gets lost,
in too much past thinking
or future soothsaying;
It will be so hard to rescue,
so hard to find and pull it back,
if we really lose it altogether.
What are we without hope?
What is hope without us?
If we set it adrift to float aimlessly,
it gets dashed upon the rocky shores
and that’s it; it’s shattered, tattered, lost.
It can be just a thought away,
but even that seems too far,
and we grow tired and unbelieving.
My butterfly,
I want to clothe you
and keep you safe,
decorate you in my finest
air- thin velvet
and weightless pearls of wisdom.
Remember that hope,
can be stronger than oak beams
and I can make my plans come true…
with you.
Or I can shatter in disappointment,
because I forgot you can be as fragile
as blown glass; and in the end,
keeping you safe,
is partly up to me.
How many times, in my lifetime
did I think I had lost you forever?
You were just some tail-lights receding,
the surf behind a boat forever leaving;
I could barely remember how it felt
to have you inside of me,
circling my heart, flying between,
the panic and the euphoria
always reminding me….
that the next day could be better.
Karima Hoisan
Nov. 15, 2020
Costa Rica