Love is built on hope;
hope that love will last, hope for the present,
hope for the future, and even hope for the past,
that memories will remain fresh, and joyful.
Friendships are built on hope;
hope that the other will love and support,
that they will never fight, never go away,
and trust always in goodness.
Hope can be corroded by despair, and mourning without rest.
Sudden loss of friends, loves, or everything held dear,
unless followed by resolution, closing, and moving on, kills hope.
If love cannot be found, or can be found, but refuses to come, hope dies.
If friends turn their backs, without giving reason, or telling why, hope
is destroyed.
Without hope, we go on the wayward trail and are lost.
We become overborne and sorrow worn.
We fade into the scenery, and disappear.
No one sees us, no one hears us, no one loves us.
If we have hope, we have everything.
Without, we lose it all.
Without hope, we die.
-Miostiek, 1/21/96