Hope Is Hard

Hope is hard When our skies darken When our world shakes When our homes burn And we feel afraid

Hope is hard When our families are split apart When our friendship circles shrink And we feel isolated

Hope is hard When our leaders fail us When governments serve themselves At the expense of their people And we feel betrayed

Hope is hard When we mourn for our past When we fear for our future When we wait Anxious and with held breath For the next upheaval…

But…

Hope is hard Like a diamond A tiny, precious thing Born of heat and pressure Into a symbol of eternity

Our hope can be like that Born of our struggles Born of our fears Born of our resilience

Hope exists Like diamonds In the bedrock of our souls Waiting to be unearthed

Hope exists No less difficult But all the more resilient Because of the crucible In which it came to be