A Beacon of Hope

By Arjun Akwei

 

To the lost man on the mountain,

hope is finding the right path

that will lead him home safely.

 

Hope to the sailor,

caught amidst the raging tempest at sea,

is the faint visage

of the beacon in the tower,

the weak and distant light on the horizon,

 forever guiding him to land.

 

Hope to the soldier

is the answered prayer,

that the terrible conflict will be over

and he can once more be the father

his family needs.

 

Hope to the waitress

is the belief that her hard hours of tireless labor

will eventually give her the money

she needs to pursue her dreams of fortune

and success.

 

Hope to the entrepreneur

is that her business will finally thrive,

that her months without rest will pay off

and the glass ceiling binding her to the ground

will shatter and she will soar.

 

Hope to the student

is the dream that a child of immigrants,

an athlete,

and a scholar,

is that they will receive the education they need

to succeed in this new world.

 

Hope is for the determined,

for the old,

and for the young,

the one thought they hold close to their heart,

that the next place will be better than where they are now.

It’s the extra push to go beyond the average,

and exceed expectations.

 

Hope is the candle,

small and delicate,

too weak to be referenced in all but a whisper,

yet strong enough to give light

through one last dark and stormy night.