HOPE

For I was a child

when reality faltered,

and the world we all knew

was unexpectedly halted.

I don't recall much,

as no one has spoken

of the year 2020,

the year that was broken.

80 years on

and my mind's playing games.

I remember the faces.

I don't remember the names.

So many faces

we'd not see again.

And thus we found a way

to manage our pain.

For the pain was so vast

and the grief was so wide

that humanity shifted

on an unconscious tide.

As we looked for a way

for our species to cope.

We turned from the darkness,

from despair we sought HOPE.

And that hope was a seed

from what I recall,

and that seed must grow on

before FEAR consumes all.

For the glare of reality

in all of it's starkness

was magnified by those

who gave into the darkness.

And that darkness called out

to ALL of our friends.

Who could blame them for thinking

"This is how the world ends".

And those living in darkness

sought not to help but to blame.

And fear consumed more

and took name after name.

But that seed of hope grew.

It was slow, it took years,

and as it grew more

it diminished our fears.

We rallied together.

Became stronger than ever

and the Covid pandemic

was something we never

ever spoke of again.

There was never a need,

for we had overcome despair

when we planted that SEED.

We remember our loved ones,

for that would empower

us to nurture that seed

to grow into a FLOWER...