Hope 2022

I am so happy to share my piece Esperanza in the Hope 2022 anthology from Moonstone Arts Center. This piece I wrote specifically for the anthology focusing on the idea of hope. I do in fact have the tattoo described in the poem and reflecting on the new year allowed to reflect on my longer journey with mental health.

Esperanza

I have hope tattooed on my wrist

A simple word in black ink

To remind all there is to live for

To pull me from darkness to the light.

A dove flying with an olive branch

Towards land from rough seas

To rescue me from drowning,

To remind me there’s a silver lining.

At 20 years old I gifted myself hope

After years of searching for the rainbow

The ink now a little faded and fuzzy

But the message still reads clear.

As the scars underneath heal,

I find a bit more hope each year.