Holding Hands with Hope: A Poem

Life is uncertain 

I’m jumping in the ocean and praying that the weights don’t pull me down

Bending myself to the will of others and wishing that I don’t break

Navigating spaces that weren’t created for me but finding the courage to exist anyway

Life is terrifying and glorious 

When life is engulfed by dark blue skies, my heart exudes the sun

The big bad wolf tries to blow my house down, yet my sturdy bones remain

It’s as if I’m on fire and no one can extinguish my flames

Life sustains itself on hope 

That hope freckles on the faces of my friends and family

Takes the form of memorizing sunsets and beach waves 

It manifests as millions of imaginary scenarios in my head

I hear that hope in Spotify playlists and words of affirmation

I see it in the smiles and aspirations of others  

I feel it in warm hugs and back rubs 

I taste it in every meal as it nourishes me 

Suddenly the road that I have to travel does not feel as lonely 

Therefore, I cling onto hope for dear life

Because it’s all I’ve ever known 

Like a cup of chamomile tea and a good book

It’s comfort is what makes us inseparable

Hope holds my hands as it guides me through life 

It plants a seed of possibilities in my soul

That seed has the ability to flower into everything I ever wanted 

Therefore, I must persist 

• poetry