Hopeful Poem

By Sue Ellson

 

Could I be hopeful
Just one more time
Could I relinquish
An unjust crime

 

Would I despair
And languish in loss
Would I forgive
Despite the cost

 

Can I acknowledge
The grief I feel
Can I master
What seems so real

 

Past, present, future
And all combined
With gratitude I’ll stand
Entangled and entwined

 

Hopeful beyond threats
Hopefully free
Hopefulness remains
As I find a way to truly be

 

On 28 November 2023, I watched an episode of The Drum on ABC Television that featured the Australian Author, Richard Flanagan (published by Penguin).

He quoted a line from the ‘In Memory of W.B. Yeats‘ by W.H. Auden (1907 – 1973) eulogy poem that says ‘For poetry makes nothing happen‘ at 00:34:45.

This statement rattled me – albeit that it was slightly out of context. It seems to have raised the ire of many other poets and writers in the past too!

In this segment on The Drum, there were also discussions about an indigenous word that talks about the ‘past, present, future and all three combined’ and the concept of hope.

I had a quick flick through my list of poems that I have published on this website and it turns out that I have already published poems on the topics of ‘Hope‘ and ‘Hoping‘ so I have now added one about being ‘Hopeful.’

Every day, we are faced with challenges that have the potential to destroy our hope. Languishing in despair is potentially self-indulgent, particularly considering that most people reading this poem live in a safe and comfortable location in Australia (although sometimes when we are knocked around emotionally, we may feel the need to go to that dark place and really feel it before we can come back out into the light).

Anyway, here’s to remaining hopeful, despite whatever happens and still believing that poetry does make things happen. With love, Sue Ellson 🙂

Photo is of an area close to Reed Lookout in Victoria, Australia on 22 November 2023.

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