Between the Darkness and the Light

Hope" is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all"

                 Emily Dickinson

    * * * * * * * * * * * * 

It matters little who we have
we face the darkness on our own;

though well-intentioned offer help

deep inside we stand alone.

We reach for lifelines out of grasp

while seconds float away, unmeasured;

till finally we face our foe.

Courage comes when all is lost—

on tattered wings fly hidden treasure:

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

So we adapt as life evolves

and often we must start again,

set a course in new direction—

make conscious choice to sink or swim.

Through each trial a lesson learned

yet there’s so little we control--

still we search to find completeness,

even as the songbird seeks

the melody that makes it whole;

one that perches in the soul.

Ever striving for perfection

as indecisive egos fail;

hitting road blocks without signs,

emotions cloaked behind gray veil.

Where’s the person we once knew?

Suddenly the lines are blurred—
we barely recognize ourselves,

and friends—they see a ‘mournful’ dove

the humblest of all the birds—

that sings the song without words

This tune should be familiar now

we hear it echo through the night,

as we balance on that brink

between the darkness and the light.

Determined now, we seek the dawn

while guided by that lone bird’s call

the path grows clearer with each step

and ever forward, we trek on

and "hope” survives despite each fall

and never stops at all

© Ginny Brannan 

Started in 2013, One of two Glosa's using lines from "Hope" by Emily Dickinson.
There are several slant rhymes sprinkled throughout this, I think Miss Em would approve!

First share here for April NaPoWriMo 2019

The first Glosa to use these lines, shared in 2013: "Finding The Melody"