Oh hope, my naughty little friend,
how you tease me,
flirt with me.
How you fuel my
daft wee dreams,
revive my plans
to try again.

Oh, cheeky hope
you play with me,
enrich my day,
bring back my smile.

And then I fall,
and graze my knee,
so tears spring to my eyes.
I look for you,
to cheer me up,
but cannot see
beyond this hurt.

So off I creep
to sulk
and pout,
to crawl through life
without your help.

I tell myself that you weren’t real,
a child’s imaginary friend, no more.
I tell myself I’m better off
without your un realistic ways.

But then, I glance up from the ground
and there you are
with your bright eyes.
And once again I bounce right up
to play, make plans and
join in life.