HOPE

^{Did brave Navalny still feel hope
When smiling he made cheerful joke
About the snow he loved to see
While locked in Siberia, far from free.
Next day we hear he hit the floor
And died, they say “of natural causes.”
Was it perhaps that Putin saw
He could not break him?}

Can the little boy in Gaza still feel hope
When still screaming he can see
His broken legs are gone
And there is no relief
From the pain that comes in waves
As alone he lies beneath the sign
That reads but five letters
W C N S F
Wounded Child, No Surviving Family.

Despite their courage and their drones
The brave men of Ukraine have made
Do they still hope?
Despite the way conscripted bodies
From deep in Russia still pile up
Is not the pendulum swinging back
Against them?
For they had hope that it might be
A pretty rapid victory
To give them back their wives and homes
When all could see
That right not might must win.
Inevitably?

Thank you lovely Donald
With all your lovely hair
For giving us such hope
So you again might help God make
Our country Great.
And we will Trumpet you
Again to be our President
For you can beat
That geriatric Biden
And all his wokey team
Of feminist do-gooders.

There is hope when some show courage
There is hope when some are brave.
There is hope when some seek fairness
Despite others who are blind
To the suffering of others
Who are poor or sick or old.
Or are young, with skills discarded
By the powers of new AI.
There is hope when we see goodness
Carried out without much fuss
In kindly ways firmly rooted
In clear-eyed, unselfish love.