Hope
Was
Present
On the horizon
South
East
West
North
into the fabric of existence
Be not afraid
Weather
Looking up
Looking down
Such peek experiences
Are awe ways just
Round the corner
I haven’t published a poem in a while. I have been attending to other stuff, such as a couple of family reunions and moving my Mom from out-of-town to really out-of-town. I have written poems during this time, though most of my poetry and verse has simply returned from whence it came. I feel that I have irreversibly headed down the path of a poet. My mind regularly (or irregularly) drifts toward poetry. Most anything can trigger inspiration. If poetry where a second language to learn, you might say that I am dreaming in poetry now, as verse becomes second nature.
This poem was written during a break from helping my Mom move. We were in her 25th story corner apartment in a downtown Detroit coop apartment building. Of course, she had lived there long enough that there was way more than 25 stories now. I was enjoying the fabulous panoramic view when this poem sprung from the horizon.
As is oft the case, this poem is about hope. Hope has always been. Hope is present now. Hope is always on the horizon. Hope is SEWN into the fabric of our existence. The phrase, “Be not afraid,” has special significance since it is the instruction that Jesus most frequently gave his disciples. Hope, like many godly things, can be elusive. Fear seems to be very effective at getting our attention; though much more blunt than the subtleties of hope, faith, and love. Jesus leverages the palpability of fear to preface his deeper messages. Fear is a great diagnostic tool to identify our personal blocks to experiencing hope, faith, and love. If we can’t get past fear, then hope seems…hopeless. Life inevitably has its ups and downs. The difficulties in life can mire us in the rough edges of life, those corners that we can’t see around. May you have the presence to seek peek experiences and find that you round the corner.
