Hope

I hope that one day we can hug again

and not hug because we feel like it,

but hug because we really feel it.

There is an ever-present void in human connection

that plagues our "civilised" Western society.

A void that is crushing us all

as we ache for the touch of another.

I hope we can understand that our world crumbles

when we are forced into isolation.

Yet the Earth screams Her gratitude

She heals Herself at the same time.

I hope we can heal along with Her.

With Her, and those with which we share Her.

I hope that my hope is more than a childish desire.

I hope that my hope is more than a dream.

I hope that my hope is more than a wish.

I hope that more around the world share in my hope,

and we do see the love and empathy continue into the future of our species.

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This poem was inspired by the recent reactions to the #BlackLivesMatter protests across the world amid the #Covid19 pandemic.

I watched my son playing in front of me, tears streaming down my face as I wrote because I know that I have the duty of raising someone in a world full of corruption and selfishness, and hope he doesn't get polluted by it.

I have hope that he is a part of a newer, kinder generation. A generation of empathy and compassion for the self and others. I pray that the pain ends with us.