Hopium

That feeling you get when....

“The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.” ― Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams

HOPE

I.
I woke this morning
to the warmth of my cat
curled close in the small of my back
purring with the strength of lions
just because he was safe and loved
and knows he has a person
around whom to entwine his days.

I opened my window today
to hear the rise and fall of cicada calls,
the tree frog congratulating himself
on finding a mate,
to register the complaints
of the squirrels and cardinals and catbirds
reminding me I was late with
their morning treats.

II.
I stepped onto my porch today
to listen to my neighbor’s kids
dancing and squealing in the sprinkler’s spray
as it made its lazy way back and forth
across their sun burnt skin
reminding me of summers
spent Slip ‘n Sliding across our lawn
drinking lukewarm water from the rubber hose
and digging my stubbed and grubby toes
into the dirt to feel the earthworms talking.

I took myself outside today -
out beneath the burnished sun
and the shadows of lazy cumulus clouds
trying to summon the energy
to gather themselves into thunder
while the newborn fawn and I
stared at one another in startled wonder
with only inches of shadowy forest
between us.

III.
I took myself to my desk today
resigned to emails full
of fractured news
half-truths to be sifted through
fact-checked and assigned to folders
before knowing what was real,
what to feel
amidst the cacophony of egos.

Then nestled amongst the subject lines -
squeezed between the Breaking News,
How To save the bees, wolves, and trees,
buried beneath the Donate Now, Act Now,
Claim Your Rewards, and Last Chance
to upgrade, accelerate, and jump start your sex life
was one six-letter word - HOPIUM.

It was exactly what was needed. - Jena Ball

P.S. Many thanks to Simon Rosenberg whose Substack, Hopium Chronicles was just what the doctor ordered today. Be sure to catch his recap of the Democratic Convention and subscribe if you can. He’s one of the good ones :-)

P.P.S.S. I’d love to hear what HOPIUM means to you.

Copyright 2024 by Jena Ball. All Rights Reserved.

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