Hope | Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle

Hope 

I used to think that  

‘hope was a thing with feathers’ 

 

It felt light 

It felt tangible 

It felt optimistic 

 

I didn’t realize it was fragile 

easily blown away 

I didn’t realize how it could slip through my fingers 

I didn’t realize how it could leave me 

feeling betrayed 

 

Too many times 

Hope has crushed me 

with its convoluted weight 

 

Hope for the dying to end 

Hope for safe returns 

Hope for world clarity 

Hope for support 

 

This hellish storm has shaken our world 

and feathers are flying all around 

If you’re lucky, 

you might catch one 

 

* * *

Talia Hellman wrote this poem shortly after Oct. 7. Hellman was born and raised in the Milwaukee area, where she attended Milwaukee Jewish private schools. She lives in Glendale and attends Anshe Sfard Kehillat Torah congregation.