Edge

Edge

She stands at the edge between Hope and Despair, 
a wounded warrior crying out for rest.
Unfettered tears stream down her cheeks,
flowing into rivers that wind their way
through the many Canyons of Loss.

The dry Desert Valley had once been verdant;
Hope had shone big, bright and certain.
No vision of pain rose on her horizon,
her life full of light, brilliant and grand.

Her Adversary now casts a smoldering shadow,
choking the flame in her soul to a flicker.
So close, she feels its icy fingers
reaching to draw her in for the kill.
A moment more, the fight would be over.
One final blow and her pain would end.

A familiar voice stabs into her darkness.
"No!"  she screams back. "I can't do this again!"
She whimpers through tears, "I can't do this again."
Despite her losses, Hope would not be silenced,
ignoring the scars her spirit now bore.

Yearning for Hope to deliver its promise,
she stands again at the Edge of Despair,
a weary warrior pleading for rest.


Pat Nelson
January 22, 2012
Revised May 6, 2014

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