I was supposed to write about hope,

But I defied the present-day definition.

Hope is not supposed to be a conversation filler,

‘Tough times are ahead, have hope,’

‘We are in challenging times, be hopeful,’

The word has been used repeatedly,

Like a yellow shirt washed and washed again,

Now drained of its colour.

The word ‘hope’ is now a sappy quote,

A conversation filler,

Meaningless.

A word that enters one ear and comes out the other.

This is not what hope is.

And now I can see my thoughts,

My thoughts that have been trapped in my head, a place it doesn’t belong,

I can feel my thoughts enter the world we live in, its finally home.

Seeing the sky, after months cooped up, is hope,

Laughing, and seeing people laughing with me, is hope,

I know it's tough times, but the glaring reminder of that one sentence,

‘Have hope,’

Ties me to a life of unhappiness and depression,

Keeps me continuously in the knowledge that the world is in a state of misery.

But I know that there is happiness.

And that happiness is hope.

And hope is laughter and finally tying your laces to go to school,

Finally packing your bag,

Finally ironing your uniform,

And smiling.
 
This is hope.

And I don’t need similes and metaphors or personification,

To understand that hope is what keeps us going,

That keeps us standing and smiling and laughing.

Hope is staring back at you in the mirror,

This is hope.

Hello world.