"Duplicitous Hope," A Poem

Hope sits proudly on both her shoulders —

On one side, Hope whispers soft, soothing words,

singing and sighing a lullaby,

muffling the tearful thunder

during the melancholic storm.

On the other, Hope whispers a string of painful words.

Achingly, her thoughts never cease to dance,

a never-ending waltz of fantasies and disappointment.

The musical hope engrains itself in her soul,

shards of speculation pierce her body —

Reaching the divide,

Choice demands to be seen and confronted.

Both paths lead to the unknown.

The future is blank, ready for Time to take over,

the falling sand in the hourglass signals Time is finite,

trapped in the unrelenting desert of decisions.

Torn between the duplicity,

Desire drives her to Hope.

Following the tempting trail down

the rabbit hole,

falling in the quicksand

into the earth,

she’s swallowed up inside

the soil where now she breathes

one with the earth.

Grinning, Hope overpowers and departs —

taking with Him every Prayer.