We Fall In Love With Hope

 

The world moves without us, so I tend

to my potted tulips, plant kale seeds, feel excited

when the sprouts pop up.

My home is an extension of my body:
full of soft blankets, books,
and warming cups of tea.
I move from desk to loveseat
to bed, in endless cycle.
There is such comfort
in these small rooms
where no bombs fall.

My heart aches, so I sit
outside in the sun and watch
my neighbour's wolf-dog
leap and smile.
He noses my pocket for treats;
he makes me laugh.
His world is only Now:
he is fortunate to not understand
the daily news.
He understands sadness though,
so he comes to me, lays his heavy head
upon my knee.
He says with his attentive gaze,
"I'm here."

The world moves without us, but we are moving, too,

through yet another war, more human suffering,

We don't know where we are headed,

and yet we do, for we have seen all this before.
My home is sanctuary
and relief.
It has always been, 
my lifelong quest 
a search for peace.
I draw home around me the way
a sand dollar creates its domicile
from the sand and grit nearby
and carries it within.

There is a tenderness to growing older.

We fall in love with morning skies, and babies,

dogs and young lovers. We fall in love with hope.

The whole while, we are grieving.
We are wise, now, and we know.

We know what tomorrow will bring.

Spring is here.

New life is growing everywhere.

We fall in love with hope.

But the whole while,
we are grieving.

Inspired by "Tomorrow Is a Place" by Sanna Wani. Italicized lines are hers. For Brendan's challenge at earthweal: Sanctuary. 

My home - wherever it is - has always been my sanctuary,  small, cozy rooms where I am fortunate to live in blessed peace. I have started over with nothing more than once - most notably when one home was lost to fire and the insurance didnt pay.  My heart aches for the Ukrainian refugees. So much heartache that should not even be happening.