The Embers Of Hope

~Deana J. Tavares

Some days my words are dried out, lacking even a drop of moisture, hardened. Salty tears bleach the very essence of my black words upon the page. My sweet softness solidifies within the harshness of the thoughts and phrases that circle around in the wind. Then I am reminded by my soul to protest, day and night. I’m reminded by my soul to not let the darkness overtake my light.

One may ask: How can a person find any hope or joy when there is so much pain and destruction all around us? How can you smile and laugh when there is so much injustice? Why are you so positive, and not angrier?

My answer would be that human spirit contains many very strong attributes. We all get angry, but hope is one of them as well. It is stronger than any weapon fired or word uttered. On the contrary to anger, hope can move mountains, conquer illness, and spread as fast as any wildfire. When it is thought to be extinguished in one location it is then ignited in another. Embers are swept up into the wind and carried glowingly across towns, swirling through states, and trailing down over continents. It lingers within our DNA, passed down from our ancestors, and swims through our blood streams with intention. Warmth. Destruction and injustice have always existed, alongside hope.

So let us raise the collective consciousness of our world through activism. Let us march! We must protest what is wrong within our world and together as a community work together to create change. It is our job to give a voice to the individuals who are being discriminated against and not being heard within our society. Within this process we must not forget all of the peace-seeking individuals who came before us, and fought for the rights and privileges that we are so fortunate to have today. Sure they were angry and frustrated, but they were able to attain those rights through, compassion, community, and hope. All of these fiery spirits passed on their embers and fanned them through the atmosphere. It is now our job to stoke the fire, and spread the embers of hope towards the next generation. We must remind our souls to not allow the darkness to overtake our light!