Hope

You can’t deny that hope is the last thing that dies in a man. As long as they stay alive, there is always hope. We hope for the best, believe in happiness, and wait for change. In moments of contemplation about own path and destination in life, about unrealized opportunities and ways how to realize them, the poets create beautiful lines. Read them to get filled with positivity and faith in your strength.

«“Hope” is the thing with feathers» by Emily Dickinson

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –

That perches in the soul –

And sings the tune without the words –

And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –

And sore must be the storm –

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –

And on the strangest Sea –

Yet – never – in Extremity,

It asked a crumb – of me.

***

«A Bit Of Hope» by Danielle Anne Wilkinson

I held on tight
and longed for the best
then realised there was nothing to hold onto.

I fell deeper and deeper
Then i thought to myself
What a wonderful life.

I dug far in my mind
To find a little hope

It took a while, But eventually did.

I squeezed it tight
And wished and wished
Until my hope became reality and all was well.

I woke up that morning
Thinking back to my dream
And i thought about the message

When you’re feeling down
Find a little bit of hope
Take it, build on it and never give up!

***

«A Center» by Ha Jin

You must hold your quiet center,

where you do what only you can do.

If others call you a maniac or a fool,

just let them wag their tongues. 

If some praise your perseverance, 

don’t feel too happy about it—

only solitude is a lasting friend.

You must hold your distant center.

Don’t move even if earth and heaven quake. 

If others think you are insignificant,

that’s because you haven’t held on long enough.

As long as you stay put year after year,

eventually you will find a world

beginning to revolve around you. 

***

«A Soldier Of Life» by Dylan Simpson

Wounded and broken,
But still we stand tall.
No challenge too over-bearing,
And no fear too consuming.

For each day is a battle,
One we do not always win,
But our persistence is our courage.
We fight with all that we have,
And sometimes that is not enough,
Yet still we continue in a battle
With victory seeming impossible.

Our determination and dreams of happiness
Are not only our guidance,
But also a dagger in our back,
For it is the euphoric joy and brightness
That we battle for.

With each passing loss,
The prospects of happiness begin to grow dim.
Again we continue to fight,
Disregarding the wounds of our previous battles,
Ignoring what may seem inevitable.

For every once in a while we stand,
Our heads held high, victorious at last.
It is now that we find the will-power to keep fighting,
To continue in this never ending war.

But for that brief moment of victory,
We embrace the beauty that is life and all it has to offer.

***

«A Song Of Hope» by David SmithWhite

I refuse to be depressed,
’cause I’m totally obsessed,
with the feeling that I’m really lying.
It’s an idea that I detest,
but once gotten off my chest,
I know I’ll feel less and less like crying.

I won’t yield to grim despair;
I must just grin and bear,
’cause I’ve other irons in the fire, frying.

If I’m burnt out or I scar,
when my words have turned to char,
it’s not because this Smithy’s stopped trying.

So life goes on and on,
and I know I’ll carry on,
with the hope of a song in my heart.
I know I must be strong,
lest my quest to belong,
is diverted or goes wrong from the start.

By now I think you’ve guessed,
that life is no idle jest;
what scares us most is not just the fear of dying.
It is the panic and the stress,
of emotions long suppressed;
the narcotic of self-love and self-denying.

With the passing of the days,
I know I’ll find a way,
to keep that song singing in my soul.
If my life begins to fray,
at ambition’s sad dismay,
there is resource in disarray controlled.

So if you find you’re not impressed,
by the things that I express,
and the knot of love between us is untying;
will you not think me a pest,
if I honestly confess,
that my life with you was truly satisfying.

Though there’s no objective test,
we must know that we’re possessed,
of a love that’s true and real and gratifying.
And if we live our lives with zest,
and keep striving for the best,
we cannot lose unless no one is buying.

So as time begins to fade,
I’ll keep the promises I made,
to press that song forever to my breast.
And as the closing act is played,
when the bill of death is paid,
my final breath will sing me to my rest.

***

«All Hope» by Bill Smith

All hope lies in tomorrow
Betrayed by yesterday
For every new horizon
There is a price to pay
The piper plays his tune
Holds out a hand for gilt
The memory cries a river
The wrong side of spilt milk

All hope lies in tomorrow

Forgetting yesterday
All hope is stored in thoughts
Arranged to form a play
There’s laughter and there’s intrigue
There’s sadness and there’s pain
Yet by the final act
Laughter rules again

All hope lies in tomorrow
Aphrodite by my side

To walk a brave new world
Athena as my guide
All hope lies in tomorrow
Under Helios’s light
To trust tomorrow to Themis
Her justice and her right

***

«As Is Life» by Albi Demeza

It’s strange the things you remember
And the things you seem to forget.
It’s a jamboree of all sorts,
A patchwork of joys and regrets.

You remember the days when you mess up,
The days when sadness brings tears,
But you forget all those small happy moments
When it’s laughter that brings you to tears.

If only we could be happy forever,
To look forward, not think of the past,
Our lives would be full of elation,
With sadness a ghost of the past.

***

«Bird Of Hope» by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Soar not too high, O bird of Hope!
Because the skies are fair;
The tempest may come on apace
And overcome thee there.

When far above the mountain tops
Thou soarest, over all –
If, then, the storm should press thee back,
How great would be thy fall!

And thou wouldst lie here at my feet,
A poor and lifeless thing, –
A torn and bleeding birdling,
With limp and broken wing.

Sing not too loud, O bird of Hope!
Because the day is bright;
The sunshine cannot always last –
The morn precedes the night.

And if thy song is of the day,
Then when the day grows dim,
Forlorn and voiceless thou wouldst sit
Among the shadows grim.

Oh! I would have thee soar and sing,
But not too high, or loud,
Remembering that day meets night –
The brilliant sun the cloud.

***

«Brighter Skies» by Ann D. Stevenson

If you awake to one more dreary day,
an empty heart with empty hours to kill,
remember brighter skies are on their way.

A breath of air can blow the clouds away;
thoughts, like clouds, can drift aloft at will,
if you awake to one more dreary day.

If some stubborn clouds should decide to stay,
their shadows causing something of a chill,
remember brighter skies are on their way.

Search out old memories; you’ll find that they
help lift your spirits up and linger still,
if you awake to one more dreary day.

Memories, like sunshine, do not stay at bay;
their warmth and love your empty heart will fill.
Remember brighter skies are on their way.

Sunny days arrive with a great “hurray”
with further magic moments to instill.
If you awake to one more dreary day,
remember brighter skies are on their way.

***

«Caged Bird» by Maya Angelou

The free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill for the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

***

«Carrion Comfort» by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Not, I’ll not, carrion comfort, Despair, not feast on thee;

Not untwist — slack they may be — these last strands of man

In me ór, most weary, cry I can no more. I can;

Can something, hope, wish day come, not choose not to be.

But ah, but O thou terrible, why wouldst thou rude on me

Thy wring-world right foot rock? lay a lionlimb against me? scan

With darksome devouring eyes my bruisèd bones? and fan,

O in turns of tempest, me heaped there; me frantic to avoid thee and flee?

   Why? That my chaff might fly; my grain lie, sheer and clear.

Nay in all that toil, that coil, since (seems) I kissed the rod,

Hand rather, my heart lo! lapped strength, stole joy, would laugh, chéer.

Cheer whom though? the hero whose heaven-handling flung me, fóot tród

Me? or me that fought him? O which one? is it each one? That night, that year

Of now done darkness I wretch lay wrestling with (my God!) my God.

***

«Dare I Hope?» by Sophia White

Dare I hope to hope?
Is it safe? Is it right?
Am I hoping for nothing
But a black and empty night?

Hope should make me happy.
I should laugh, sing, and dance
Because I am hoping. Right?
Ha! Not a chance.

How is it that hope can leave me
Trembling in the darkness?
How is it that something so “good”
Should leave me feeling helpless?

Dare I hope to hope?
What difference does it make?
Fate will be fate in the end,
It will either “make or break.”

Does Fate regard my hope?
Does She listen? Or care?
Am I shooting for a star that
Simply isn’t there?

I cannot know! Oh, God
Why must I struggle with
This doubt that pulls at me
Rends me, limb from limb?

What sort of hope leaves pain
Where it should instead leave joy?
Is this hope at all? Or perhaps
Some wicked demon’s ploy?

I cannot know! Dear heaven!
How can I even begin to dare
To hope for something – anything?
Is no assurance there?

No promise? No guarantee?
I cannot stand it! I cannot!
The doubt is a plague
In my every thought.

Dare I hope to hope
In a hope that leaves me dry
And lost? How can I dare
To hope in hope? How can I?

***

«Do Something» by Lucy Larcom

If the world seems cool to you,
Kindle fires to warm it!
Let their comfort hide from you
Winters that deform it.
Hearts as frozen as your own
To that radiance gather;
You will soon forget to moan,
“Ah! the cheerless weather! “

If the world’s a “vale of tears,”
Smile till rainbows span it;
Breathe the love that life endears
Clear from clouds to fan it.
Of your gladness lend a gleam
Unto souls that shiver;
Show them how dark sorrow’s stream
Blends with hope’s bright river.

***

«Don’T Give Up Hope» by Sylvia Chidi

Don’t give up hope
Don’t give up hope
There is still a whole slew of scope in hope

I know how you feel
Your predicament is unpleasant and real
Before you crumble and stumble
Like a lone wolf in your solitary struggles
I hear the sadness in your tongue
Realize that your suffering will pass

Its duration may be long
Hang in there, be strong
I know the words to your plightful song
You are not where you wish to belong
But giving up hope is forever wrong
A flower never fumbles and gives up hope
While waiting for its daily water
Hope is all to it that matters

Don’t give up hope

Don’t give up hope
Clutch on tight to all ropes
There is still a whole slew of scope in hope

***

«Don’t Let The Song Go Our Of Your Life» by Kate R. Stiles

Don’t let the song go out of your life;
Though it chance sometimes to flow
In a minor strain, it will blend again
With the major tone, you know.
What though shadows rise to obscure life’s skies,
And hide for a time the sun;
They sooner will lift, and reveal the rift,
If you let the melody run.

Don’t let the song go out of your life;
Ah! it never would need to go.
If with thought more true and a broader view
We looked at this life below.
Oh! Why should we moan that life’s springtime has flown,
Or sigh for the fair summer time?
The autumn hath days filled with paeans of praise.
And the winter hath bells that chime.

***

«Endure Like A Tree» by Alicia Quetzalcoatl

To get through life you have to endure as a tree does.
When Mother Nature tries to bring you down,
You will never fall; you will stand your ground.
You will encounter burning flames.
Yes, it will be painful and hard,
But once it’s over and done with,
Your bark will grow back stronger than ever.
When your leaves start to slowly leave,
Never fret, there will be more to take their place.
They’ll come and go throughout your life,
That’s just how it is.
From the time you’re a seedling to the time you’re mature,
Your roots will always be there to support you.
After many years,
After enduring forest fires and changing leaves,
Your own saplings will fall away to start anew.
Then you’ll know not to worry,
They’ll grow into tall, strong trees,
Just like those before you.

***

«Enjoy Hope» by Sandra Osborne

So many
Different dreary worlds,
That it’s hard to make a choice,
Hard to choose at all,
Hard to have to.

Ahh, that’s it isn’t it? Choice.
The great commanding curse
Of freedom. It’s very source.

No Freedom without it,
Only a painful apathy,
With no worry, and no hope.

For hope is always tight with worry,
Hope and dread, did I make the right choice?
Did I choose wrongly? The stress, anxiety
Over the future, over it’s hope.

Yet, and still, there are no wrong choices,

Just fleeting, frozen moments.
Forever, and without changes,
With no way to make them.

So don’t worry,
Just choose and go, follow
Freedom’s path to the next choice,
And don’t worry,
Enjoy the hope.

***

«Expect The Worst And Hope For The Best» by Lillian E Curtis

In this world where waves of trouble ever are rolling,
And discouragement is ofttimes a guest,
If, perchance, there’s a fond hope with its gentle consoling,
Expect the worst and hope for the best.

There’s a full cup of joy, perhaps, that’s almost your own,
And may soon in your expectant clasp rest,
Yet many such ones rude winds have blown,
Then expect the worst and hope for the best.

Where life were witness to volumes of incoming sorrow,
And for the faint possibility of a forthcoming joy thirst,
Blight not the hope, nor undue misgivings borrow,
Nor less hope for the best, but be prepared for the worse.

The best needs no precedent its arrival to announce.
Twill be joyfully welcomed as animation will attest,
But Oh, lest its rival swoop down with deft, sudden pounce,
Calmly expect the worst, still hope for the best.

An emergency armor were safe fortified by an alternative plan
For there’s many an if in this field of contest,
And much that is promising may prove but a sham,
Then expect the worst and hope for the best.

***

«Faith And Hope And Charity» by David Keig

Hope is forever dreaming
Faith is forever pure
While charity weighs up its lot
So its life it can endure.

Hope is forever youthful
Faith has no greying hair
While charity is ageless
So it is forever there.

For faith and hope and charity
Are of each of us a part
The measures there between them
Are what balances our heart.

***

«Faith, Hope And Clarity» by Terry Donovan

When I wake in the morning, will I find
That this was nothing but a lavish dream,
A magic moment conjured in the mind,
A mirage with a wishful-thinking theme?
Once more, reality the status quo,
A consequence of castles in the air,
A lonesome lover who will never know
The pleasure of the treasure that you bare?
Or will this little miracle prevail,
This little world of wonder never cease,

Will I still drift with no wind in my sail,
Another painted picture, party piece?

I lay my body down to sleep and pray
That you’ll still be here at the break of day.

***

«Finding Hope» by Patricia A. Fleming

I’ve always viewed life from the side lines,
Just watching it passing me by.
In the past, too afraid to just let go and live,
And lately too tired to try.

I’ve envied the people around me
So invested in living each day,
While I spent my time hiding out from the world
And searching for ways to escape.

For most of my life I truly believed
I was here to help somebody else,
But now it’s so clear it was just an excuse.
To avoid living life for myself.

It’s sad that our lives and the pain we endure
Can weaken our strength to move on,
But if we get lost in the scars of our past,
Without knowing our lives will be gone.

It’s true, people are disappointing,
They can turn in the blink of an eye,
But we can’t avoid hurting each other,
When we all want a chance at this life.

But there’s something I’ve learned through the wisdom of age,
A truth about all of our lives,
And that is no matter what path we each take,
In the end, we just want to survive.

So the time has now come to conquer my fears
And to stand up and face a new day.
Let the hurts of my past wash away with my tears
And stop letting my life slip away.

***

«Fringed Lily» by Talia Baken

I gracefully bloom in July,
Clothed in a delicate silk,
Fringed with a delicate lace,
Sprinkled with the color of milk.

I desire to be free like the butterflies,
Floating and fluttering where they please.
I yearn to explore the world
And be as adventurous as the bees.

The wind blows me left and right,
But I am rooted to the ground.
The soil holds me prisoner,
But I hope one day I’ll be found.

One day I may be discovered.
Gentle hands may reach down,
Free me from my prison,
And admire my beautiful gown.

***

«God Will Make A Way» by Lydia Preston

Society seems in a mess.
Mothers cry, while fathers stress.
To be polite is a disgrace
as children mock you to your face

Every day the papers show
that crime and rape did upward go.
The things done in laboratories
are stashed away in lavatories.

Drugs and sex aren’t hard to find.
It seems as if the world’s gone blind,
for what the people fail to see
is messing up society.

As dads no longer head their home
and kids all sit and chat by phone.
What once to all has been a home
is looking like a war-torn zone.

No longer do you find that kids
are playing in the park,
for it’s become a hideout place
for gangsters after dark.

What once was right now seems so wrong.
No more joy and no more song,
as what this all was meant to be
lies buried in a cemetery.

By telling you these things my aim
is not to make you mad.
It’s just to tell another truth,
which soon will make you glad.

Amidst the chaos of this world,
of hurt, despair, and pain
and hate along with treachery
all done for selfish gain.

There’s this one thing I know of,
believe with all my heart,
that when I bend my knees to pray
my God will make a way.

***

«Hope» by mily Jane Brontë

Hope was but a timid friend;
She sat without the grated den,
Watching how my fate would tend,
Even as selfish-hearted men.

She was cruel in her fear;
Through the bars, one dreary day,
I looked out to see her there,
And she turned her face away!

Like a false guard, false watch keeping,
Still, in strife, she whispered peace;
She would sing while I was weeping;
If I listened, she would cease.

False she was, and unrelenting;
When my last joys strewed the ground,
Even Sorrow saw, repenting,
Those sad relics scattered round;

Hope, whose whisper would have given
Balm to all my frenzied pain,
Stretched her wings, and soared to heaven,
Went, and ne’er returned again!

***

«Hope» by Mathilde Blind

All treasures of the earth and opulent seas,
Metals and odorous woods and cunning gold,
Fowls of the air and furry beasts untold,
Vineyards and harvest fields and fruitful trees
Nature gave unto Man; and last her keys
Vouched passage to her secret ways of old
Whence knowledge should be wrung, nay power to mould
Out of the rough, his occult destinies.

But tired of these he craved a wider scope:

Then fair as Pallas from the brain of Jove
From his deep wish there sprang, full-armed, to cope
With all life’s ills, even very death in love,
The only thing man never wearies of–
His own creation–visionary Hope.

***

«Hope» by Joseph Rodman Drake

SEE through yon cloud that rolls in wrath,
One little star benignant peep,
To light along their trackless path
The wanderers of the stormy deep.

And thus, oh Hope! thy lovely form
In sorrow’s gloomy night shall be
The sun that looks through cloud and storm
Upon a dark and moonless sea.

When heaven is all serene and fair,
Full many a brighter gem we meet;
‘Tis when the tempest hovers there,
Thy beam is most divinely sweet.

The rainbow, when the sun declines,
Like faithless friend will disappear;
Thy light, dear star! more brightly shines
When all is wail and weeping here.

And though Aurora’s stealing beam
May wake a morning of delight,
‘Tis only thy consoling beam
Will smile amid affliction’s night.

***

«Hope» by Holly Heron

I’ve heard hopes enough,
Enough to keep you alive,
They say that hopes a joyous feeling,
Hope that they”ll come back,
Hope they’ll see their mistake,
But hope hurts more than the the deepest betrayal,
It keeps you awake at night,
With dreams that tomorow,
Well, that tomorrow everything will go back,
Back to how it was,

Back to love and happiness,
And then in the morning when nothings changed,
When your all alone,
Wondering why,
Then you know the truth of hope,
That hope gives you sleepless nights,
The pain thats throbbing in your chest,
The knowledge that for all your want,
It will never be the same,
And that hope is the biggest betrayal.

***

«Hope» by Evelyn Locke Irvin

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for.”
As we travel on life’s road from day to day.
Hope gives light, like a light house sends it’s beams to guide the way.
It stirs our souls to climb mountains to the highest peaks.
And never conquers all defeat.
It builds bridges over troubled waters of a stormy sea;
And puts wings on our heart aches and trials and sets us free.
Hope is like a beautiful bird singing all day on it’s nest,
And the tones it sings brings sweet rest.
Hope lifts our spirits like the sight of a lovely rose blooming above it’s thorns,

As the fresh dew kisses it’s petals in the early morn.
Hope brings light to the darkest day,
It makes a shining path, and takes all fear away.

***

«Hope» by David Keig

When there is no bright sun shining
when saddened words have just been said
when you find no sense in wonder
when all those tears have been full shed
when your path seems pointless forwards
when you eye the day with fear
when the black dogs will walk with you
when their howl is always near
when you fail to see the goodness
when you fail to see the hope

when you fail to see that life itself
hangs from a fraying rope
when you fail to smile at sunrise
when the dusk is in your soul
then you live your life in shadows
and its time to take control
for there is no sense in grieving
for a past that’s left behind
and the wonder of the future
is that its there for us to find

so when there is no bright sun shining
when you feel you’ve lost your way
turn your eyes forever forwards
and bless every single day.

***

Hope Sending Hope by Peter S. Quinn

Sunlight is everywhere to be found
Hope sending hope to the inside far true
High heavens bluer drifting in sunset through
In your eyes here and there and all around

Playing and moving distant in tomorrow
Giving from its love that will linger on
Moods to remember from a world that’s gone
Feelings of care that no one can borrow

A day is in evening saying its goodbye
With yellow red burning into the dark
Dreams to linger on to the calls of night
Clearing reality from luminous sky
Each of its dreams from outer there to spark
Losing each shading to darkish mauve sight

***

«Hope Against Hope» by Qiniso Mogale

In an evil world
In a hostile world
In a dark world
In a selfish world
In a survival of the fittest world
In a hopeless world
We hope against hope.

In a dishonest world
In a disconcerted world

In a discouraged world
In a violent world
In a hateful world
In a hopeless world
We hope against hope.

In a morally bankrupt world
In a world devoid of the truth
In a world where wrong is right
In a world where right is wrong

In a world where fables are preferred
In a world where tales are preferred
In a world where truth is detested
In a hopeless world
We hope against hope.

***

«Hope Behind The Shadows Of Pain» by Shermain Joy Lipao

In some people’s pretty eyes
There’s a great painful disguise,
Disguise that dressed their lonely heart
With devastating cuts that ever hurt.

Their smiles turned into sobs.
Their laughter turned into screams.
Their days turned into nights,
And their joys turned into sorrows.

But no matter what caused their pains,
They move forward as they wipe their tears,
For in every beat of a lonely heart
There is hope that lights the path.

***

«Hope Beyond Hope» by John Sensele

If I aspire to succeed
In implementing actions I take and reactions I fake
When I dispense of feeds and seeds of weeds I ought to bleed
As crucibles of uncertainties prolong the mistake

I cultivate and motivate in crates of habits
Over and over again I grow
In my mind watering and aerating bits
I ought to eradicate from the reason row

Where my future lies in abundance
Waiting for the salient sign
To engage at full throttle the dance
That mind and body align and assign

When I make up my mind to quit
Conniving with masochism
And embark on the mission to meet
Conditions to rekindle my respect for the catechism.

***

«Hope Deferred» by Robert Fuller Murray

When the weary night is fled,
And the morning sky is red,
Then my heart doth rise and say,
`Surely she will come to-day.’

In the golden blaze of noon,
`Surely she is coming soon.’
In the twilight, `Will she come?’
Then my heart with fear is dumb.

When the night wind in the trees
Plays its mournful melodies,
Then I know my trust is vain,
And she will not come again.

***

«Hope For All» by Mary Dolores Meier

The Lord said “Will you help someone?”
And hope was really there,
He said “Go to foreign lands.”
Again hope was there.
Soldiers go far and wide
To help their countrymen.
And each time they go far away,
There is hope again.
He helps them near,
He helps them far away.

Hope’s love is always
Here to stay.
And all who know Him, love Him
Because he really cares.
The lord calls many mean to Him
to do his special jobs.
His wife must be an angel
As she helps him day by day.
To do the work our Lord has planned
And he must be on his way.

So as Uncle Sam sends the boys out
Each and every day,
The world would like to thank hope
for freeing their stress without delay.

***

«Hope For The Future by Joseph T. Renaldi

Today we face the trying times
Of heartache and pain.
Many hopes and dreams are shattered,
And prayers seem to be in vain.
With the hope of peace diminishing,
The heart has no definitive song.
We’ve waited for an end to hostilities,
But the struggle seems so long.

Yet – there is hope for the future,

Liberty and freedom are still in command,
But God will make the ultimate decisions.
He will evaluate our worldly demands,
And he holds the future in his grasp.
Why should we despair?
He mourns and counts every tear,
And he hears and reviews every prayer.

***

«Hope For Tomorrow» by Charles S. Poling

There’s never a road but has an end,
And each long day has its close,
And all must say good-bye to a friend,
And the frost must blight the rose.

There’s always an end to laughter,
And always an end to tears.
Winter? But Spring will come after,
And youth must grow old with the years.

And even the rainbow that mantles the storm,
Is destined to pass from your view,
And the dark of the night is put paging the morn,
And the end is a door to the new.

So hope for tomorrow, trudge on with a song,
There’s work for your hands to do,
Don’t brood o’er the past and the things that are gone,
Life’s best lies ahead of you.

***

«Hope Is A Tattered Flag» by Carl Sandburg

Hope is a tattered flag and a dream of time.
Hope is a heartspun word, the rainbow, the shadblow in white
The evening star inviolable over the coal mines,
The shimmer of northern lights across a bitter winter night,
The blue hills beyond the smoke of the steel works,
The birds who go on singing to their mates in peace, war, peace,
The ten-cent crocus bulb blooming in a used-car salesroom,
The horseshoe over the door, the luckpiece in the pocket,
The kiss and the comforting laugh and resolve—
Hope is an echo, hope ties itself yonder, yonder.

The spring grass showing itself where least expected,
The rolling fluff of white clouds on a changeable sky,
The broadcast of strings from Japan, bells from Moscow,
Of the voice of the prime minister of Sweden carried
Across the sea in behalf of a world family of nations
And children singing chorals of the Christ child
And Bach being broadcast from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
And tall skyscrapers practically empty of tenants
And the hands of strong men groping for handholds
And the Salvation Army singing God loves us….

***

«Hope Is Good Thing To Hope» by Kristina Riggs

I hope my family get a long like they use too
I hope God finds away to bring my brother
back from drugs
I hope my father stays in my life and don’t
take off life he did before when I was a baby
I hope before I am 30 years old I be marriage
and have family like my friends do
I hope my dreams I want out of life comes true
I hope me wanting to hope is not dumb
I hope is right thing to do in life

I hope I get in to college
I hope my mom finds good guy beside
jerks
I hope who I am with doesn’t hurt me
or break my heart like guys did with
my mom
I hope my brother leaves this girl that
keep him away from his family
I hope Amber will always be my best friend
I hope Rusty doesn’t every leave me

I hope God helps find away for us
to be together me and Rusty
I hope my family is happy
I hope my friends are happy and thankful
for what they have in life
I hope when Jennifer gets marriager it doesn’t
be life her last one ended bad
I hope everyone learns how good is to hope
and pray for things you need.
I hope everyone thankful and glad to be here
in this world.

***

«Hope Is In The Seasons» by Makayla Fowler

Hope is in the spring time,
When the first bird of the year chirps.
When the first bud opens,
And the sweet perfume of flowers is in the air.

Hope is in the summer time,
When the sun shines bright in your eyes.
When the lakes sparkle and shine under the sun,
And when there’s laughter in the air.

Hope is in the fall time,
When the leaves fall off the trees,
And crunch under your feet when you walk on them.
When birds fly away to find a warm place to stay.

Hope is in the winter time,
When a blanket of white covers everything.
When everyone’s happy and cheerful,
And when you build forts, snowmen, and have snowball fights.

Hope is in the seasons,
When the first bird chirps,
When the sun is bright in your eyes,
When the leaves fall off the trees,
And when a blanket of white covers everything.

***

«Hope Is Not Lost» by Jessica Millsaps

When the desperation hit
When the people cried in the streets
When everything felt at loss
Hope stayed, even though fleaing would be easier

When the eyes were full of tears.
When kids and families were torn apart
By that last desperate grasp
Hope tried

When all else gave up
When all else backed off
When people lost all they had
Hope flew

When they cried
When the world was shocked with desperation and dispair
When nothing seemed good
Hope worked

When those four planes crashed
When the buildings fell
When the lives were lost
Hope was there

Hope was only a tiny glimmer
Hope was still there
She ran to those who needed her
She worked to help

When all else failed
Hope didn’t
She flew through us all
Letting us know, we still had her
We just needed to look hard enough

Hope was there
Hope remembers

***

«Hope Is The Thing With Feathers» by Emily Dickinson

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.

***

«Hope Never Slumbers Long» by Anna J. Granniss

Not even Hope can always soar and sing;
Sometimes she needs must rest a willing wing.
And wait in midst of her glad carolling.

Faint not, dear heart, though she rest over night –
Her wings are swifter than the wings of light;
They’re gaining strength for more enduring flight.

Fret not because her voice is sometimes still;
It may be catching some new lilt or thrill;
She’ll sing again, all of her own sweet will.

Perhaps when worn with pain, in darkened room.
Denied the light, the beauty, and the bloom,
You’ll see a little rift within the gloom;

Then hear a stir, as of unfolding wings;
And low, sweet notes, as one who tries the strings
In tender prelude just before he sings.

And wakened Hope, grown vigorous and strong.
Will then surprise the silence with a song –
Keep a brave heart, Hope never slumbers long.

***

«Hope On» by Charles Harpur

Power’s a cheat, success but trying,
Even pleasure bears a sting;
Still ’tis useless, useless sighing,
Rather list to Hope replying—
“The flowers must come again with spring;
And in the trampled way we re going
Streams of comfort yet are flowing—
Hark! I hear them murmuring.”
Fame’s a liar in the nation!
Love hath oft a wayward wing;

Still, hence seek not for occasion
To impugn Hope’s sweet persuasion—
“The flowers will come again with spring;
And in the world-wide way we re going
Streams of pure good yet are flowing—
Hark! I hear them murmuring.”

Friendship turns, itself denying
Even Truth the heart may wring;
Still, though trust be daily dying,

Listen still to Hope replying—
“The flowers will come again with spring:
And in the blasted way we re going
There’s yet one healing current flowing—
Hark! I hear it murmuring.”

***

«Hope Your Happy» by Jessica Anonymous

I hope your happy with your life
I hope your happy with your wife
I hope you see what you have done
I hope you see that this is all wrong

I hope you realise that your not perfect
I hope you see that money’s not worth it
I hope you realise that family comes first
I hope you see that my smile was rehearsed

I hope you see that your tearing me apart
I hope you someday grow a heart
I hope someday I will want to see you
I hope someday I wont have to see you

I hope you suffer, but I dont want that
I hope you die, but I dont mean that
I hope someday your ‘love’ will be real
I hope someday you will ‘feel’

I hope you realise that money cant heal
I hope someday you’ll feel, what I feel
I hope that before you die
I hope to tell you, I wont cry

I hoped you would be a good dad
I hoped you wouldnt make me mad
But all my hopes from before are gone
just like the love you had for their mom

I hope that I see you one last time
I hope I get to tell you this:
‘I wish I never knew you
because of you….I wish I didnt exist….’

***

«Hope, Answers» by Sophia White

Listen!
He is calling you.
The voice you have heard many times in the silence…
Listen.

You have seen trouble, dear one, and pain.
You have walked the trail of tears again and again.
You have been looking, haven’t you, for hope?
He is holding it out for you to take.
You have long been confused, have you not?

Looking for answers in a world gone dark.
You have searched your every desperate thought
For a glimmer of hope, a shard of truth.
Truth, my beloved, is found not in Man.
You are lost in a desolate land,
Hopeless, and weary, wanting rest.
Come lay your head on His breast
And enter into Love, wandering one.
You have heard his voice often in the night
When the world is asleep, or in the pale dawn.

Truth. Answers. Hope. Love. Only One
Can give them to you and only His will last.
Take His hand and hear his voice, dear heart,
And in His arms and sight be blessed.

***

«Hope, Blessed Hope» by John Sensele

Hope warmed my heart this morning
Whispering words I longed to hear
Words and meanings in my awakening

From every distance, far and near
As my heart leaped with joy
Driving away every trace of fear

That couldn’t scare the lifebuoy
I welcome in blessed hope, the balm

I long with frenzy to deploy

As hope my nerves made calm
Releasing tonnes of tension I felt
From my brain, heart and palm

When pressure chooses to melt
Droves of doubts and pouts from my soul
While on bended knees hope spelt
Her faster motion to my greater goal.

***

Give Us Hope To Live by Peter S. Quinn

There will be a time when time will go
Through darkness of years and dying
Like footsteps lost into winter’s snow
And rain from the cloudy sky crying

No day will rise to a new born bloom
Or a blue sky fore a darkish evening
For life on earth shall all be doom
Without hope or nightingales singing

Eternally on the darkness will come
With dust of the earth and killing
Be there for years hundredth more some
Never to leave it’s death empty filling

Listen to the wind no ears will hear
Only the empty gardens and space
Life’s then lost and dried every tear
Only the silence and desolation days

Give us hope to live here for years
Turn to every hope that you make
We need resources and peace that cares
Into your future be more awake

Every hour is important from now on
We get closer to our own destruction
Before you know earth’s beauty is gone
Never return to a safe course reduction

***

«I Hope» by Sara Magana

I hope you surf the waves in form the ocean,
Big and small.
I hope you watch the sunset,
From a mountain straight and tall.

I hope you can sing a song to all the angles,
Loud and clear.
I hope you will try new things,
Never giving into fears.

I hope you fall in love,
With one who makes your world go around.
I hope that if you fall out,
Your feet will stay on the ground.

I hope that you can understand,
That true love waits for you.
That you may have to wait a while,
But when it comes it will be true.

I hope you find a rainbow,
And realize it was worth the rain.
I hope through you journey,
You will learn to balance smile with pain.

I hope that you realize,
Life isn’t always on your side.
I hope you know when hope is lost,
In me you can confined.

I hope that your glowing smile,
Brings someone out of gloom.
I hope you taste your life,
With more than just a spoon.

I hope that when you are lost,
You are also one to find.
And I hope that you hand,
Never grows too big from mine.

I hope watch the stars shoot by,
Upon a grassy hill.
I hope you know that I love you,
Always have and always will.

***

«I Hope» by Lana Andrews

I hope
That a friend in need
Is a friend indeed
And i hope
That the skies stay blue
And my friends
Are the same friends that i knew
And i hope
That this earth is still round
And that i will be found

And i hope
That my dreams are so clear
And when i wake up my eyes have no tears
And i hope
That ur hand is in mine
And with love theirs no time
And i hope
That i will survive
A broken heart this time
And i hope

And i hope

***

«If Only» by Petra Sheane

If Only…
A prayer was held in our nation,
Beauty was seen in more ways than one,
Children who are lost could find their salvation,
Death was slain and torture was done.

If Only…
Earth was awakened after years of endurance,
Forgotten feelings were rekindled anew,
God was man’s only path and assurance,
Hope was the foundation of the world we knew.

If Only…
I knew more stories than those that were told,
Joy was a plague, and peace a disease,
Knowledge was worth more than silver and gold,
Love was sacred and endless as the seas.

If Only…
Miracles were seen more than daylight,
Never was replaced with forever,
Our eyes could see through the dark of the night,
Passion lived in us more than ever.

If Only…
Questions were answered, and answers were questioned,
Roses were pure and without thorns,
Sadness received only love and affection,
The empty knew why it was they were born.

If Only…
Us as a nation would join hands in song,
Victory was a gift to the humble,
When tears were shed, the earth felt strong,
Exalted men would fall and crumble.

If Only…
You and I would last forever.

If Only…

***

«In Good Time… » by Abimbola T. Alabi

Life can seem an endless maze,
The twists and turns, lulls and delays,
But things always fall into place…
In good time.

Friends will sometimes go away.
Some may disappoint or others betray,
But new ones will come to stay…
In good time.

The hurt of getting something wrong,
And the lesson it often brings along
Are there, you see, to make you strong…
In good time.

Kindness freely given away,
Unnoticed now, will somehow find its way
Back to you and come to stay…
In good time.

Efforts seem not to pay to plan?
Forge on friend, doing the best you can.
Fortune will find the deserving man…
In good time.

Life can be tough, there’s no doubt,
But hope is the thing we can’t do without.
Right things with joy will come about…
In good time.

***

«Is There A Hope In A Wish? » by Peter S. Quinn

Is there a hope in a wish?
A moment, a place to be free,
Somewhere, where love is a bliss
And your dreams I can see.
Being together, is a beautiful way,
Someplace, in time we met;
In another place, in another day,
No words there need to be said.
Is there a hope in a wish?
A wish in a hope that we share?

Something, somewhere, in all this,
That we both know is all here.

To sing and play, yes to play,
Give each fancy, its own place;
To feel more day, yes by day;
In the long run it all pays.
To wish for more than you know,
For hope will then come along
And give some, when you are low,

So you will then no more long.
To sing and play is just fun,
We could have it all here with us
And when there is no more sun,
It wouldn’t be such a loss.

***

«Just Wait For The Sun» by Lisa Marks

When everything’s darkness
And you feel so alone,
When the rain doesn’t stop
And you can’t make it home,
When it feels all is lost
And you just want to run,
It can’t rain forever.
Just wait for the sun.

When family is pain,
When friends can’t be found,
When you just want to scream
But you can’t find the sound,
When it’s all your fault,
And you feel like you’re done,
Just wait for the sun.
The sunshine will come.

The storm always passes.
It won’t last forever.
The rain always stops and gives way to good weather.
The brightest and warmest of days still to come.
Please wait for the sun.
The sunshine will come.

People who need you,
People who still love you
Can warm up your soul like the sunshine above you.
You’re never alone,
No matter what’s done.
Wait for the sun.
Just wait for the sun.

Dark clouds always pass.
I promise you, hun.
We’re all waiting with you.
Just wait for the sun.

***

«Like A Fair Pearl» by Mary C. Ryan

Like a fair pearl within its shell,
A sweet hope lies within each breast;
Far, far below the billow’s crest.
Below each varying tidal swell

Though dark the tide ‘neath stormy skies,
Or bright the gleam from moonlit waves,
Alike serene in ocean caves,
The perfect jewel hidden lies.

Thus through each scene of joy and woe,
Life’s sweet hope e’er remains the same,
Unchanged by time and fickle fame,
Its genial rays in all hearts glow.

But as rough shells from the dark sea,
Disclose their treasures in the light,
Eare gems reflecting sunbeams bright.
In crowns of kings honored shall be.

Lifted by God from depth of night,
The ransomed soul as changed shall be,
From cumbrous earthly shells set free,
Ever to bask in Heaven’s light.

For in a brighter world than this,
Life’s hope at last will be revealed,
The longing soul be satisfied,
Resplendent in eternal bliss.

***

«Lively Hope And Gracious Fear» by William Cowper

I was a grovelling creature once,
And basely cleaved to earth:
I wanted spirit to renounce
The clod that gave me birth.

But God hath breathed upon a worm,
And sent me from above
Wings such as clothe an angel’s form,
The wings of joy and love.

With these to Pisgah’s top I fly
And there delighted stand,
To view, beneath a shining sky,
The spacious promised land.

The Lord of all the vast domain
Has promised it to me,
The length and breadth of all the plain
As far as faith can see.

How glorious is my privilege!
To Thee for help I call;
I stand upon a mountain’s edge,
O save me, lest I fall!

Though much exalted in the Lord,
My strength is not my own;
Then let me tremble at His word,
And none shall cast me down.

***

«Love, Faith And Hope» by Bob Gotti

Love is one identifying mark that sets Believers and others apart.
Men will know us from others when we have love one for another.
Love covers a multitude of sin, when you have Christ’s love within.
It was Christ’s love on the cross that covered the sins of the lost.

No greater love to comprehend than giving one’s life for a friend.
In His love, God did condescend, saving sinners like us, my friend.
We display the love of Christ, when we become a living sacrifice.
It’s a reasonable service to Him; As His Love washed away our sin.

If in your life you give God His place, He will then fill you with faith.
This Faith centers upon Him; as Christ turns you from a life of sin.
Faith becomes your foundation, the moment you receive Salvation.
Friend in your newly found Faith, you will be led by God’s Grace.

And friend your Faith is assured, as you put your Hope in The Lord,
Not in your life or other men but Hope in the One who God did send.
For Christ is The Hope of all men, He is The Beginning and The End,
As Christ is The Hope of certainty, that goes on well into Eternity.

My friend, Faith, Hope and Love, they are all gifts from God up above,
And if you glean from up above, you will see that the greatest is Love.
God’s Love produces in us a Faith that helps us point to God’s Grace.
Grace appeared to all then, and Christ remains The Hope of all men

***

«My Friend Hope» by Krutika H. Deshpande

I have an invisible friend
Who guides me through dark and pain.
She always tells me not to give up
As she believes my efforts will never go in vain.

When the paths are not clear
And I am surrounded by fear,
She holds my trembling hands and says,
“Oh dear, don’t you worry, good days are near!”

So one day I finally asked her,
“How can be you so optimistic about everything?”
Smiling at my naive face she said,
“Just like after gloomy night comes bright day,
Just like after every storm comes the calm,
Through ups and downs, life always goes on.”

She made me believe in miracles,
Gave strength to my wings.
No matters how impossible they may seem,
I can now fly high and achieve my dream.

She is the reason I always smile.
I never give up, I never blame
Because I have an invisible friend,
And Hope is her name!

***

«My Weakness» by Greta Zwaan

In my weakness I am strong, for it is not I;
What I have I do not own, even should I try.
Born a pauper, not born free – having no control;
No concept of whom I am, searching in my soul.

Weary of my constant toil, what do I achieve?
Daily it’s the same routine; hardships never leave.
Life is puzzling at its best, nothing is secure,
All my efforts seem in vain; trials to endure.

Why I do the things I do I can’t understand,
Unseen powers are my source, I’m at their command.
Still small voices in my head, prod me, drive me on:
There’s a purpose in your life, hope is never gone.

Remember now, in days of youth, you are not your own;
Tread in paths of righteousness, never walk alone.
All my strength is still minute if God does not bless,
If I prosper, by His grace, then I must confess:

God is sovereign, God is just, I am but of clay,
Daily I rely on Him, He’s my hope and stay.

***

«Never Let Go of Hope» by Jancarl Campi

One day
you will see
that it all
has finally come together.

What you have
always wished for
has finally come to be.

You will look back
and laugh at what has passed
and you will ask yourself,
“How did I get through all of that?”

Just never let go of hope.
Just never quit dreaming.
And never let love
depart from your life.

***

«Now Let No Charitable Hope» by Elinor Morton Wylie

Now let no charitable hope
Confuse my mind with images
Of eagle and of antelope:
I am by nature none of these.

I was, being human, born alone;
I am, being woman, hard beset;
I live by squeezing from a stone
What little nourishment I get.

In masks outrageous and austere
The years go by in single file;
But none has merited my fear,
And none has quite escaped my smile.

***

«Now You’ve Recovered» by Charles A Cino

When you recover, what will you do?
When you recover, will you still be you?
Will you be stronger, will you be new,
When you recover from what you’ve been through?

Can life get better than it was before?
Will you realize your dreams and improve your score?
Will people still remember your name,
Or will they forget you because they’re ashamed?

Life in recovery may not be the same.
The rules may have changed in this brand new game.
You can pick up the pieces and make a new start,
And courage and hope keep you from falling apart.

The world all around you seems different and changed.
Things that once were now seem out of range,
But you can recapture your life and fulfill
The dreams that were lost when you took ill.

The journey to wellness takes time and is long,
And those that get well are exceptionally strong.
For depression can kill, but you have survived.
Your goal to recover has kept you alive.

Now you’re recovered, what will you do?
You suffered and conquered and saw it through.
Back from the black and abyss of despair,
It is time to move on; it is time to care.

***

«Of History and Hope» by Miller Williams

We have memorized America,

how it was born and who we have been and where.

In ceremonies and silence we say the words,

telling the stories, singing the old songs.

We like the places they take us. Mostly we do.

The great and all the anonymous dead are there.

We know the sound of all the sounds we brought.

The rich taste of it is on our tongues.

But where are we going to be, and why, and who?

The disenfranchised dead want to know.

We mean to be the people we meant to be,

to keep on going where we meant to go.

But how do we fashion the future? Who can say how

except in the minds of those who will call it Now?

The children. The children. And how does our garden grow?

With waving hands—oh, rarely in a row—

and flowering faces. And brambles, that we can no longer allow.

Who were many people coming together

cannot become one people falling apart.

Who dreamed for every child an even chance

cannot let luck alone turn doorknobs or not.

Whose law was never so much of the hand as the head

cannot let chaos make its way to the heart.

Who have seen learning struggle from teacher to child

cannot let ignorance spread itself like rot.

We know what we have done and what we have said,

and how we have grown, degree by slow degree,

believing ourselves toward all we have tried to become—

just and compassionate, equal, able, and free.

All this in the hands of children, eyes already set

on a land we never can visit—it isn’t there yet—

but looking through their eyes, we can see

what our long gift to them may come to be.

If we can truly remember, they will not forget.

***

«On Hope’s Broken Wing» by Mary C. Ryan

On hope’s broken wing my spirit once fell.
From joy’s sunny heights to great depths of woe;
And music’s sweet strains in sadness did swell,
Life’s garden of flowers was covered with snow.

But a bright little bird sang of God’s love,
“I, even I, to the ground can not fall,
Without the care of the Father above;,
He careth for me, for He loveth all.”

My eyes then beheld a lily in bloom;
From her heart of gold she whispered to me:
“I sow and reap not, I dread not the tomb,
The hand of my God provideth for me.”

My soul then, in prayer, sought peace with its God,
The snow on life’s garden melted away:
And my new heart seemed a beautiful sod
Where a sweet hope bloomed that ne’er will decay.

***

«Positive Hope» by Catherine Pulsifer

We can lose many things in life
We may find we have had our share of strife
But the one thing you never want to loose
Is your hope, you get to choose.

You can stay focused on the negative today
You can blame others in every way
But at the end of it all,
Our hope will prevent us from a fall.

You see focusing on things will get better
Will keep our lives centered
To look forward with positive hope
Rather than sit around and mope.

***

«Psalm 150» by Jericho Brown

Some folks fool themselves into believing,

But I know what I know once, at the height

Of hopeless touching, my man and I hold

Our breaths, certain we can stop time or maybe

Eliminate it from our lives, which are shorter 

Since we learned to make love for each other 

Rather than doing it to each other. As for praise 

And worship, I prefer the latter. Only memory

Makes us kneel, silent and still. Hear me? 

Thunder scares. Lightning lets us see. Then, 

Heads covered, we wait for rain. Dear Lord, 

Let me watch for his arrival and hang my head

And shake it like a man who’s lost and lived. 

Something keeps trying, but I’m not killed yet.

***

«Seamstress Of Hope» by Patricia Gale

Angel of hope come to me
Mend my heart with golden thread
Weave your healing all around
In and out through my soul

Patches of love to cover the void
Made from the finest in the land
Tenderly spin me a new dream
One of love and hope in between

Cradle my heart
In finest silk
Softly and sensual to the touch
But strong for many years of wear

Show me with pride
Give me to one who will cherish
A slightly used but still useful heart
One that will keep them warm with love forever more

***

«Since Thou Hast Given Me This Good Hope» by Robert Louis Stevenson

SINCE thou hast given me this good hope, O God,
That while my footsteps tread the flowery sod
And the great woods embower me, and white dawn
And purple even sweetly lead me on
From day to day, and night to night, O God,
My life shall no wise miss the light of love;
But ever climbing, climb above
Man’s one poor star, man’s supine lands,
Into the azure steadfastness of death,
My life shall no wise lack the light of love,

My hands not lack the loving touch of hands;
But day by day, while yet I draw my breath,
And day by day, unto my last of years,
I shall be one that has a perfect friend.
Her heart shall taste my laughter and my tears,
And her kind eyes shall lead me to the end.

***

«Stallions Hope» by Sandra Osborne

I believe that horses can heal,
I believe that their hearts feel all that we feel,
I believe that the joy from riding is real,
I believe that horses really can heal.

I see children riding and smiling with joy,
I see happy healthy girls and boys,
I see hope for life and wonder renewed,
I see love for the children coming to you.

I see dreams for the kids, who once were lost,
I see helping hands, no matter the cost,
I see friends for kids, who once were tossed,
I see children laughing and no longer lost.

I do believe that horses can heal,
I believe that horses make recovery real,
I believe being sober is a much better deal,
I really believe that horses can heal.

And I know that this land, its buildings and stones,
Insures that our children are never alone,
Insures that our horses and children are one,
Insures that their lives will finally be won.

Yes I do believe that horses can heal.
That recovery hope and dreams are real,
That God and love can make a child whole,
That all of this is the Stallions Hope role.

***

«Stand Up» by Frances Joy T. Chaves

In every walk you take
There will always be a bad day.
When tears kept flowing
From failures and disappointments,
From sufferings and broken heart,
It’s okay; no worries.
Everyone finds it tough.
Even if living is hard,
You’ll survive and you’ll remember
How you’ve fought and not how it hurts.
Breathe in the laughter and cherish the tears,
For tomorrow may be the best day,
And today is only the beginning.
Just hang on and keep going.
Cry if you must, and whine you can’t,
For every master is once a disaster,
So don’t give up.
Be brave and believe,
For you are strong and you will fight.
Be the champion of yourself,
For you deserve nothing but the best.
Start living today and leave the past behind.
Say goodbye to sorrowful tears.
Keep going without hesitation.
You’ll pull it off, just wait and see.
One more time, one more try.
You’ll see the light.
Wake up, stand up, and live life!

***

«Star Of Hope» by Lillian E Curtis

We look o’er the dark clouds that hover around,
To greet a ray of light visible afar,
And tho’ trials and troubles are dense and profound,
We would look for Hope’s radiant star.

Dark days we know must come unto all,
But we ne’er should give up to despair,
While we can look o’er the fierce waterfall,
To a star that’s so bright and so fair.

The tempest of life is a fierce, howling blast,
Yet sweet, hidden joys it may bar,
The sweeping tide fair gems may o’ercast,
Bro’t to light by Hope’s radiant star.

Let’s not frown on what misfortunes have severed,
Not their fair inherent beauties mar,
By omitting the value there is to be gathered,
By looking at Hope’s wondrous star.

***

«Still A Belief In Mystical Hope» by Uriah Hamilton

I’m searching the expansive, azure sky
For a woman’s anodyne brown eyes
That escaped from her face
To watch this place,
Keep my heartbeats and breaths in view,
Saying enlightened prayers
Into the compassionate air
Of God’s loving universe.

Everything is going to work

And ease the hurt
From a thousand wounds
Inflicted by yesterday’s knife.
The future is a healing balm
And a good luck charm
Against the darkness and disaster
Still looming in childhood
Gloomy clouds and unhappy nightmares.

***

«The Birth Of Hope» by Douglas Malloch

Last night the path of life was drear
And dead leaves shivered in the breeze.
Last night the world was bleak and blear.
And want and sorrow, pain and fear,
Lurked in the shadows of the trees.

Dead leaves, dead leaves of other days.
Touched by the frost of fate unkind,
Lay clustered deep in woodland ways
Or hurried over frozen bays,
Urged by an unrelenting wind.

But lo! the new year and the morn
Came with the passing of the night.
Another life and world were born —
The sable curtains, rent and torn.
Revealed a vista fair and bright.

The trees, new-leaved, are filled with bloom —
The buds of new and happy hours.
Gone are the midnight and the gloom,
And golden shafts of light illume
Hope’s fragrant pathway strewn with flowers.

***

«The Hope Of The Resurrection» by Vachel Lindsay

Though I have watched so many mourners weep
O’er the real dead, in dull earth laid asleep—
Those dead seemed but the shadows of my days
That passed and left me in the sun’s bright rays.
Now though you go on smiling in the sun
Our love is slain, and love and you were one.
You are the first, you I have known so long,
Whose death was deadly, a tremendous wrong.
Therefore I seek the faith that sets it right
Amid the lilies and the candle-light.

I think on Heaven, for in that air so dear
We two may meet, confused and parted here.
Ah, when man’s dearest dies,’tis then he goes
To that old balm that heals the centuries’ woes.
Then Christ’s wild cry in all the streets is rife:—
“I am the Resurrection and the Life.

***

«The Instinct Of Hope» by John Clare

Is there another world for this frail dust
To warm with life and be itself again?
Something about me daily speaks there must,
And why should instinct nourish hopes in vain?
‘Tis nature’s prophesy that such will be,
And everything seems struggling to explain
The close sealed volume of its mystery.
Time wandering onward keeps its usual pace
As seeming anxious of eternity,
To meet that calm and find a resting place.

E’en the small violet feels a future power
And waits each year renewing blooms to bring,
And surely man is no inferior flower
To die unworthy of a second spring?

***

«The Light Of Hope» by Rachel Slimm

Endless dark – or so it seems,
life is shattered, with all our dreams
of joy and hope, the fading light,
and darkness, darkness for all in sight.

No words can speak of pain that’s borne,
or fears unfounded, the sharpest thorn,
deserted mind, with heart and soul,
the wish of death, the bell will toll.

A mind of riddles, flesh we scorn,
and hope for day, the light of dawn.
The night is long, the darkness set,
the hope of morn, existing yet?

But morn will be, and dark will fade,
the light of hope, the desert shade,
the winter’s comfort, summer’s breeze,
as blooms of spring, the sun appears,

a welcome friend, the silence broke,
my soul returns, my demons choke,
faith and hope I once more find,
in shadows of my heart and mind.

Reason warped by darkness’ might,
arights in friendship’s glorious light,
survival comes from God’s own power,
endurance through my darkest hour.

***

«The Myth Of Surrender» by Christopher Ames

Across a scarlet sunset I will be watching.
Flowers turn in vain to face the falling sun,
But drinking in the moonlight of defeat,
In the darkness their failures will dawn,
And the worst emerge from hiding.
We have all become chasers
Of things we know must end.
It never stops us.
We can’t help but
Defy fate.

On a lone old wooden bench I will be waiting,
The last stronghold of nature in the city.
Now towers grow like trees in the summer,
Standing as shepherds of our downfall.
The stars burn themselves out slower.
When nothing can be salvaged,
Hope is all we have left.
It’s never enough,
But we still try,
Even now.

Each tired Sunday morning I will be wasting
Some little amount of the time we have left,
Praying to some god to make it all right.
When church is as silent as mourning.
We have been abandoned in turn,
Lost as a chick returning.
The nest isn’t empty;
It was never there.
We build alone
All the same.

From the heart of disaster I will be wanting,
For somehow everything to come to an end,
And spare us the agony of waiting.
The race itself is against madness.
You don’t win prizes for trying,
Only perception changes.
The game’s rigged; then it’s done.
Even knowing this,
Nothing differs.
We still fight.

In a place all to myself I will be wishing
That I saw the reason for futility.
Others think to hold back death with laughter.
If clowns were angels we would be saved,
But I deny the sun its light,
For what I see in the day.
But who would dim the stars?
And even in this
Ironically
I, too, strive.

On the curb outside your house I will be weeping.
Through a broken heart all things seem a drama,
And if the world won’t end it feels that way.
Doomed from the start, but I still want you.
Out of sight is not out of mind,
For the night kisses the day
And still the faithful pray.
They were all right, though
I won’t give up,
Not this time.

***

«The Rainy Day» by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the moldering past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

***

«The Wind» by Alissa Sanders

My thoughts lay printed on sheets of paper,
Stored in the drawer of my mind.
They are organized, neat,
Nothing out of place.

They can’t be touched by outside strangers,
Filled with dangers and cruel intentions.
I’m the only one with the key,
To this infinite drawer with ideas.

But sometimes a foreign gust of wind comes,
It rattles and shakes the knob to this drawer.
Each day getting stronger and stronger,
Closer and closer to freeing those papers.

The enemy, the wind is a master of uncovering.
Of daintily plucking out my papers
Like dandelions on a vast field,
To blow and disperse the seeds to unknown areas.

It does it so discreetly, that I don’t realize its actions
Until that very last moment
When the wind turns into a hurricane
And the drawer is finally broken into.

My papers fly out to this hurricane.
Crinkling, tossing, turning.
A complete mess of black and white figures,
Soaring at high speeds in the whirlwind.

I’m stuck in the eye of the hurricane.
Huffing and puffing, jumping and reaching,
To retrieve my sacred papers.
Although I know it’s impossible.

I must wait for it to move on,
And pick up each paper, piece by piece.
Eventually I’ll find most of my thoughts,
To put back in the drawer, for the wind to come again.

***

«There Is Always Hope» by Jeff Fleischer

There are times when I feel sad and frustrated.
Life is not working out the say I want it to be.
I am feeling low instead of high.
The sky is a dark cloud hanging over my head.
I spend my spare time feeling sorry for myself.
Then, all of the sudden, I stop feeling sad.
I start to feel better and think that life is not so terrible.
The sky looks cloud free and light blue.
I no longer feel sorry for myself.
‘Cause there is always hope for a brighter tomorrow.

***

«Tiny Shred Of Love» by Swetha Baskaran

Floating, heart askew
In the dark, deep tunnel of nothing
Claw with every cell of me
Reach out for anger, greed, sorrow
Not the alone, gray, empty
Tiny shred of light
I wait for, hope for
A delusion there to help
Hold my hand tighter
Around the severing rope
My only tie to the world
A better life, twinkle dust
Of joy, love, a home
No more tears, aching soul
For a touch to hold on
Until then hope for, wait for
The tiny shred of love.

***

«To Hope» by John Keats

WHEN by my solitary hearth I sit,
And hateful thoughts enwrap my soul in gloom;
When no fair dreams before my “mind’s eye” flit,
And the bare heath of life presents no bloom;
Sweet Hope, ethereal balm upon me shed,
And wave thy silver pinions o’er my head!

Whene’er I wander, at the fall of night,
Where woven boughs shut out the moon’s bright ray,
Should sad Despondency my musings fright,

And frown, to drive fair Cheerfulness away,
Peep with the moonbeams through the leafy roof,
And keep that fiend Despondence far aloof!

Should Disappointment, parent of Despair,
Strive for her son to seize my careless heart;
When, like a cloud, he sits upon the air,
Preparing on his spell-bound prey to dart:
Chase him away, sweet Hope, with visage bright,
And fright him as the morning frightens night!

Whene’er the fate of those I hold most dear
Tells to my fearful breast a tale of sorrow,
O bright-eyed Hope, my morbidfancy cheer;
Let me awhile thy sweetest comforts borrow:
Thy heaven-born radiance around me shed,
And wave thy silver pinions o’er my head!

Should e’er unhappy love my bosom pain,
From cruel parents, or relentless fair;
O let me think it is not quite in vain
To sigh out sonnets to the midnight air!
Sweet Hope, ethereal balm upon me shed,
And wave thy silver pinions o’er my head!

In the long vista of the years to roll,
Let me not see our country’s honour fade:
O let me see our land retain her soul,
Her pride, her freedom; and not freedom’s shade.
From thy bright eyes unusual brightness shed—
Beneath thy pinions canopy my head!

Let me not see the patriot’s high bequest,
Great Liberty! how great in plain attire!
With the base purple of a court oppress’d,
Bowing her head, and ready to expire:
But let me see thee stoop from heaven on wings
That fill the skies with silver glitterings!

And as, in sparkling majesty, a star
Gilds the bright summit of some gloomy cloud;
Brightening the half veil’d face of heaven afar:
So, when dark thoughts my boding spirit shroud,
Sweet Hope, celestial influence round me shed,
Waving thy silver pinions o’er my head!

***

«Try to Praise the Mutilated World» by Adam Zagajewski

Try to praise the mutilated world.

Remember June’s long days,

and wild strawberries, drops of rosé wine.

The nettles that methodically overgrow

the abandoned homesteads of exiles.

You must praise the mutilated world.

You watched the stylish yachts and ships;

one of them had a long trip ahead of it,

while salty oblivion awaited others.

You’ve seen the refugees going nowhere,

you’ve heard the executioners sing joyfully.

You should praise the mutilated world.

Remember the moments when we were together

in a white room and the curtain fluttered.

Return in thought to the concert where music flared.

You gathered acorns in the park in autumn

and leaves eddied over the earth’s scars.

Praise the mutilated world

and the gray feather a thrush lost,

and the gentle light that strays and vanishes

and returns.

***

«With Faith And Hope» by Ernestine Northover

The tears fall, but no one’s there to heed them,
The heart it mourns, but no one sees the hurt.
An emptiness has seeped into the brainstem,
One’s feeling dazed, and no longer alert.

Such desolation haunts one’s whole persona,
What can one do, and just where can one go,
You feel as if you’ve now become a loner,
How droplets, when they’re prompted, freely flow.

To cry can be a painful kind of action,
One weeps for someone one has loved so well,
Yet grieving gives release, if just a fraction,
Which heals the ache and lets sadness dispel.

Only time will ease such utter sorrow,
That comes from losing someone Oh, so dear,
But with the dawning of each new tomorrow,
With faith and hope you’ll find a panacea.