it was ‘despair’ hiding there in the corner.

dusty and cold with yesterday’s wrinkled

clothes stuck to skin, he ran one shaky hand

through tousled hair while i struggled to

voice his name.

 

i had been ignoring his presence

for longer than i cared to admit,

for an optimistic heart who only wants

to know hope, he was a terrifying 

emotion to acknowledge.

 

then one surprising day, i felt compassion

for him, even him, huddling there.

 

and as i listened to his tales of woe,

i realised that even he had information

to convey, lessons to teach, and that

since he had co-existed with radical

 

hope for some time already that he

would not fulfil my biggest fear and

seek to take over entire. but still in

his corner he sits, passive.

 

i offered him a cool drink and a soft

cloth to soothe cracked skin and he

thanked me for attention received.

and i will now admit that even though

 

i deeply trust One who is greater than

i and believe that things will work out

in the end, that there is a part of me

that does at times despair.

 

this is the real and honest truth,

and this is okay,

 

and honesty with self and others

is the smartest and most constructive

way to walk through things such

as these.

 

Heather Pound 2024

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash