Sparks of Light

Herbal tea steaming from the warm mug in my hands

Peace felt at the moment before dawn

A line of words that seems to write itself

After a particularly long mental drought

The beaded fringe of my favorite shirt

A delicate scent of lavender diffusing the room

Sticking my sweaty face in the freezer

Feeling a rough wet tongue tickle my toes

When all seems lost and despair feels absolute

These are some of the sparks of light

That flare up in the gloom of despondency.

Nibbling at a bar of luscious dark chocolate

Head touching the pillow and sliding into oblivion

Tiny twinkling fires hanging in the infinite sky

Breathing in cool night air after the sweltering heat

Laughing and crying at melodramatic Asian shows

Escaping reality deep inside a fantastical world

The cautious hope that things will get better

Despite the simmering depths of hate and wrong

When all seems lost and despair looms dire

These are a few of my indispensable reasons

For clinging to a positive resolve.

The future is forever unexpectedly changing

Who can truly tell what time will bring

“Though the wrong seem oft so strong”*

Good will always rise to overcome.

*From This is My Father’s World - lyrics by Maltbie Davenport Babcock