Hope: A poem 

Hope is that mirage that keeps us all alive 

The thanksgiving turkey sliced with a knife 

To the chef, the first splash of cooking oil 

A dream of harvests after the relentless toil 

Hope is that lamp that leads us in the dark 

For prehistoric man, what ignited the fire was the spark 

For the weary voyager, the sight of white sands 

The wealth of a ship’s offloading on an isolated impoverished island 

Hope is that cornerstone that reads you ran a mile 

It is that honey jar that cures you of your bile 

A lonely man wishes for the redeeming gift of love 

The wounded heart prays for strength from above 

For the starving, hope is in just a meal a day 

For the ailing, it is in the mitigation of pain 

Yet, in shallow waters walk those who hope with greed and overambition 

For hope is an uncut diamond till it glitters with compassion