The Journey Inward

See her face,
Etched with the threads of stories.
Are they stories of silliness, sadness, solemnity,
Solace, and self sufficiency?
Has she lived through horrors unimaginable?
Has she witnessed worries that overwhelmed?
Has she known love, the kind that lit her soul on fire,
Or the kind she would lay down her life for?
Has she shown kindness and compassion 
To friends and strangers alike, 
And felt it in return?
Has she lived with Hope?

See her face,
Etched with the threads of stories.
Are they stories that told of the ever changing times?
Has she witnessed oppression, marginalization, bigotry?
Has she watched her daughter, then granddaughter,
Then great granddaughter know a way of life she couldn't have 
Dreamed of in her youth?
Has she watched in devastation as some of their rights have been
Stripped away,
By the same thinking that tried to hold her down?
Did she sometimes muse aloud,
"The more things change, the more they stay the same?"
Has she lived with Hope?

See her face,
Etched with the threads of stories.
What do those eyes see now when she looks out?
Does she see Hope?
What words does that mouth speak when her family visits?
Does she speak of Hope?
Does the blanket around her give her aged body warmth?
Does it feel like Hope?

See her face, etched with the threads of stories.
See her hair, the color long gone and replaced with pure silver.
See her eyebrows, belying her curiosity and thoughtfulness.
See her mouth, a small smile playing about her lips.
See her beauty, this Woman who has
Lived, Loved, 
Worked, Worried, 
Cared, Comforted,
Grieved, Gave.
She is Hope.

Photo:  Montclair, NJ.  6.17.23 by LA