HOPE

it's cold...dark
this place...is hard
no happiness. no sunshine
fear lurks in the corners
leaving no escape

memories, like bullets, drive into my mind

can't run or hide or fight back
the cold, the dark, the terror...

reach for something to heal from the horror
there is something there...a small sliver of hope
but when broken...shattered
how to trust the contentment it offers?

have i grown too dependant on only myself?
have i become the woman who is too afraid?
will the haunting of past demons keep me locked away?

fear circles me...pokes at my sides, tugs my hair
i wish i could leave here, find warmth, comfort...safety

hope beckons me and pleads with me to let it lead me from this place
i want the warmth to surround me and keep the darkness away
i'm scared because what if i find only a new darkness?
i let my eyes find the center of this new hope...search it for signs of evil

hope reaches for me...and i reach back