Hope Legs

By Pallavi Verma

Hope is usually said to have wings, it flies way up above, enjoying the bigger picture and moving with the winds For the past year, days have been falling into each other like lovers reunited that don't want to be separated I can't tell one day apart from the other sometime I feel caught in a net, floundering, as the squares of the net mock me with their presence and strength in numbers There are days when waking up in the morning means waiting for the say to end When I look in the mirror, sometimes I find it empty On those days, hope is hiding in a locked chamber of my heart with the keys dangling from somewhere in my brain I don't know how much hope I have left to use from that room When I lost love, I used a few feathers When I lost my way, I used a few feathers On days when the sands of time weep with me, I use a few more I don't know how much hope I have left to keep fighting the rain that is pushing me to the ground So I'm taking a different approach, I've given my hope legs So it can splash in the puddles the rain leaves behind And I've realized hope is in a passing smile, collecting seashells, standing still as the winds move, walking with purpose, walking without purpose, moving across grocery aisles and petting a dog So take your hope's wings away and give it legs so it can walk with you, hand in hand

By Pallavi Verma