Hope

It springs eternal- is that thing with feathers, exists where there is life... It is what sustains us- after the verdict, the diagnosis... ( though these may be grim.) It has propelled the immigrant and refugee into the unknown and it lives in the prayers of the abused anchoring them to stay- to endure, to hold on, just a little longer. It is scratched on a cell wall, is an imaginary flight of fancy nourishing the condemned. It is part of a Biblical trio- joined with faith and love... It can be a woman's name- pronounced " Hope" or " Esperanza." And though it is precious, hope is not invincible- it can be exhausted, destroyed and when it dies, joy does too, as does purpose, and What? What happens then?