Hope Moves Us

 

"Hill of hope" is a Taiwanese line-dance
to "What's Up?" or "What’s Going on?”

  

Many hills of hope are growing around the world—some existed before recorded history.

 

Mine is newer, a poets’ hill of hope,
contemporary poetry from wars.
 
Wars of mighty powers with cruel machines,
wars of faith in communities, in homes
 
battered woman, abused children, bleeding
trans, gay, innocents, all humanity
 
and tame animals and wild-life—OH—
I cannot bear to list more wars to heal.
 
Instead, look at the hills of peace, justice,
and kindness in between, look at them grow
 
Use the world wide web to exist bravely,
to encourage others to do the same,
 
to build bridges and tunnels among them—
farmers, electricians, inventors and
 
home schoolers and skill sharers and plumbers
and scientists and builders—hills of hope
 
like guilds—we need each other to exist.
And healers and musicians and artists—
 
that’s what’s going on—hills of hope that will
grow if we word workers in verse and prose
 
and speech--collaborations, inspirations
and public presentations spread the word.
 
Growing they combine with soft borders, but
need to have means of conflict resolving.
 
Because conflict is normal; but war is not.
Because conflict is normal; but war is not.
 
Because we are inventing through practice
better means to resolve intense conflict.
 
We listen and help each other hear, we
ask questions which respect the conflicted.
 
We allow ourselves to be changed along
with those in the center of the conflict.
 
We don’t know answers.  We say so.  And we
are willing to be changed and moved slowly
 
as all things are always moving, moved or
not.  This possibility moves me most.

 

For What's Going On? Blog 

My blog poems are rough drafts.

Please respect my copyright.

© 2023 Susan L. Chast