I Place my Heart

I place my heart in the hands of hope
Knowing those hands aren’t safe
I place my heart in the hands of hope
Because that is my choice.
The alternative is fear, a heavy dread
As I listen to the raucous voice
Of leaders, eager to make their mark
On history.

I place my hope in the soul’s
Imperative to step back from the brink;
The refusal of good men to sink
To boundless depths of greed, the need to rule,
To win at any – every cost.
I place my hope in others’ hands
Knowing they’re not safe, in the hope
That one honourable voice will rise above the rest.

I place my hope, my heart, in shaky, precarious hands
And every hour
I hear
Of more,
Violent
Death.