hope

can it survive 

where is it

in the deaths

of Martin Richard

Krystle Campbell

Lu Lingzi 

where is it

among the twisted, torn

and broken limbs

the riddled bodies

the amputations 

in the aftermath

of tragedy

in the bloodied fingers

and knees

the held hands 

in the resounding anthem

at a hockey game

 

in the act of a new Pope

cleansing and kissing

the feet of men, women

and Muslims 

is it in a prayer

sent out

across a violent sky

to the imagined

face of God

and in a Neil Diamond song

or in a YouTube video

of a dancing queen 

is it found

in other countries

where bomb blasts

are as ordinary

as thunder

and hunger

where resignation

would be

easier 

can it be found

sometimes

in the wrong

places

in the midst of carnage

and crying

blood and glass 

after  the unfathomable loss

shock and senselessness

will we pick the bones

of grief

to find it

there 

Barry DeCarli

Aril 19, 2013

©Barry DeCarli 2013