Texture of Hope

by Michelle Fulkerson


Hope is rough 
as the pages of a well-worn book
and heavy as blotting paper,
yet slips easily through a person's grasp.
Tan and flat,
hope is a page
with another’s words covering its surface.

Hope is not some shiny, far away thought
or a wishful dream state.
Hope is concrete and surreal,
all in the same moment.
Some say hope is like the stars: 
always there, yet just out of reach,
a light to guide the way. 

Hope to me is flexible,
found in a song, a book, or a phrase. 
It ignites a fire within the soul,
supplies the momentum to move forward
and allows those who possess it to take notice.
Hope slows us down to appreciate,
while it also fuels the opinions, 
thoughts, actions and emotions we hold.

Hope is an undulating river,
expansive and powerful,
that connects in order to serve a larger cause.
Fast paced and freeing, 
the flow of water 
carves out a purpose for those in need. 

Hope is found both in sorrow 
and great joy,
in the darkness of a movie theater
with the magic of the big screen that creates 
a shield from the life that awaits beyond the theater doors.


* * * * *

"Texture of Hope" is from Michelle Fulkerson's collection I Am from Stargazing on Rooftops, edited posthumously by her mother, Julie Fulkerson (Cerasus Poetry, July 2022).

Michelle Fulkerson fought her way into the world at just 23 weeks gestation. Against the odds, she survived and thrived. Michelle loved reading, writing and music. She began writing poetry and short stories at age 12. Around that same time, Michelle began struggling with anorexia, anxiety, and depression. She kept a journal where she wrote with poignant honesty regarding her mental health struggles. Michelle wrote up until her suicide, just 4 months shy of her 18^th birthday.