Hope

I see hope when I see folks tending the earth
I see hope when I look into the face of my daughter as she contemplates her return to school
I see hope when I see people giving a hand up instead of a hand out
I see hope when folks come together with hugs and barbecue instead of guns and cruel words
I see hope when I see tended yards in hardscrabble neighborhoods

 

I hear hope when constructive debates raise solutions instead of controversy
I hear hope when people call misogynists on their idiocy
I hear hope when the cashier speaks gently to an old lady
I hear hope in tales of the Cajun Navy
I hear hope in the rooms of 12 step meetings

 

I feel hope when my dog looks at me with adoration
I feel hope when Mother Moon’s rays fill me with serenity
I feel hope when I realize there is enough money to make it to my next payday
I feel hope when  I stand among the trees and sense the presence of greatness
I feel hope when I see the numbers on the glucose monitor going down

 

I smell hope in the scent of sawdust in new homes
I smell hope in food trucks with vendors working to feed folks and build their businesses
I smell hope in the scent of cotton candy at the fair
I smell hope in the salty brine of the sea tickling my nose
I smell hope in the crackling scent of a bonfire reminding me of hearth and home

 

I taste hope in the tomatoes fresh from the vine
I taste hope in the sweet corn dripping butter down my chin
I taste hope in my chili made with home grown peppers
I taste hope in the strawberry a West Side Market vendor gives me to taste
I taste hope in the food cooked by immigrants at a local restaurant

 

I am hope when I choose peace over anger
I am hope when I say a kind word
I am hope when I make time for love
I am hope when I support instead of tear down
I am hope when I look at the world with love instead of fear