The Strix – Hope

Here’s to those who live by in this world one day at a time doing what the world asks of
them. Who turned a struggle into an addiction and desire into compulsion. Those who
spend every night on their bed, mind drowned in thoughts, heart unwanting to beat. . .
You hold onto your wait for better days to come, and tell yourself that they won’t.
You hope. . .

Art by Alpe John

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Hope Is…

…not a heart in a tree…
not loftily floating out of reach
not sitting on a gilded throne
not residing in some mystical realm

It is not guarded by angels high
glittered by faerie dust
or plucked from a flower garden
planted by seeds of heart hardened

An illusion…this word, these letters four
cannot be grasped by hands rich or poor
it is not attainable by prayers
it will not bow on command

It is not tangible or visible
it dances to no one’s tune
you cannot buy it with money
it does not arrive gift-wrapped

Hope is…

when you are beaten down
when the smile is replaced by a frown
when you are on your bruised knees
and you decide to stand on sore feet

It is the moment you want to give in…but don’t
it is when your heart feels like breaking
yet you break it open wide, again and again
daring to love despite the risk present

It is when you wake up in the morning
when you didn’t want to…and rise
It is when you refuse to succumb
to the pounding of the dark tides

Hope is composed of the moments you decide
to continue your path despite all there is to spite
it’s knowing that there is always light, your light,
even in the darkest of night

Hope is stained, dirty, tattered,
it is born from the ashes of the phoenix

You are
that phoenix…

and,

Hope
is you.

~ Emily Clapper from PoetGirlEm

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Bathed in soft lilacs, blues,
Filtering hues of colour through,
A veil of white while the outcomes wait,
Are they reflected in the colours,
You see from where you lay?
Will you stay here longer?
Will you wait another day?
The eye of heaven watches,
Blazing hot under its gaze,
Your patience sizzles and,
Your courage boils, still,
Boils again, as you stay in the shadow,
Though the sun shines high,
Over your skin where you lay,
Will you stay here longer?
Will you wait another day?
A fleeting dart of dark flies,
Once, twice, over your head,
Free to roam free of charge,
Its flight light from all the,
Things that it doesn’t carry,
And all you do is watch from where you lay,
Will you stay here longer?
Will you wait another day?
In hope that tomorrow,
Would bring new colour,
Or in hope that tonight,
Would bring new change?
Your eyes search the sky,
Where the sun starts to melt,
In hope of finding answers,
In hope of being felt,
While you mind mingles with thoughts,
Your heart whispers you this:
Don’t stay here longer,
Don’t wait another day.

~ Michelle Joseph from PsychedelicBay

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Hope is courage. Hope is the strength. Being like the last piece of breath, the last drop of water,
the last breath you take, hope requires courage to live on the last of everything you have. Hope
is that faint, vague presence of light in complete darkness.

I believed and then I did not, I trusted, and then I did not. But hope remained, in hiding,
camouflaged with the thousands thoughts running. Hope always stays. Like that good friend
who shall never leave your side. Hope is always there, all you
have to do is find yours! All you have to do
is to hope for the light to arrive, in time.

~ Kashaf Shaikh from AWordWarriorsBlog

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You look at night to the sky above and only see darkness.
Your head filled with noise.
Why even breathe.
It is so easy to get lost, losing yourself in the world we live in today.
It’s so easy to surrender to desperation.
Disappearing in the darkness.

The world has changed.

Give way to someone with less errands at the supermarket? Unthinkable: you’ve been waiting
yourself for two minutes. Once, it was natural to talk to your lonely elderly neighbor, now you act
as if you didn’t see her. So busy with self-imposed duties. Worry about what is happening
around the globe? No way, enough burdens on your own plate.

The world has changed.

We take less and less time for each other. We rather assume the worst about a person, instead
of taking the time to find out the reason why someone does, what he/she does. Chopping each
other’s heads, bombing one another, since trying to understand each other’s ancient culture,
values, opinions, feelings seems to be too difficult.

The world has changed.

Embrace the beauty of darkness.
Hear the whispering of life.
Breathe.
You’re not alone, more beautiful souls in the world, waiting to be found.
Cry, hurt, scream, fear, smile, laugh, dance, care.
Step into the circle of life.

HOPE

 ~ Patty from Kruidje-roer-me-niet

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His name was Afzal, no more than seven,
A child innocent, a victim of war,
Just a few days back, I had met him,
While, covering the bombings in Afghanistan,
The sight of the blasts horrendous & scary,
With lifeless bodies, ripped off flesh,
A few of them who survived the blasts,
Ran, for a little mercy in horror,
Broken houses screamed in silence,
Small children wounded and bleeding,
Cried in the streets unattended,
There I had seen this boy with courage,
Holding a white flag in his hands,
Sitting by the side of his lifeless father,
Surprisingly, I saw no tears in his eyes,
I moved closer to hear his whispers,
“Father, your son is strong to shed no tears,
To change things for better, I am going out there,
Holding a flag of peace in my hand,
Every beat of my heart, beating in hope,
Determined to melt the hearts of those demons,
How I hope to turn them to humans,
I remember your words, they echo in my mind,
The day will come, there shall be peace,
No more pain, no one will die anymore,
No sight of bloody bodies on the roads,
Holding my flag so white and flawless,
I shall march, I shall not give up,
My hope persistent to conquer the inhuman,
For I shall not let my children to witness,
A world so wounded, chained by terrorism.”

~ Zigyasa Kakkar from Mysestina

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“Hope is a thin line between holding on and giving up. It will never turn real unless one
acts and wills.”

~  Cezane

Expressions Crossing Continents