A Corny Kind of Hope
Friday, June 3, 2022
INVOCATION
by Jericho Brown
Now, I have a voice. Entered, I am lit.
Remember me for this sprouting fire,
For the lash of flaming tongues that lick
But do not swallow my leaves, my flimsy
Branches. No ash behind, I burn to bloom.
I am not consumed. I am not consumed.
EPIPHANY
No one lands a revelation quite like a poet. This is why I’ve always been a poem junkie. I like the hit of the “aha” moment. I love when the last line rushes to my head and makes my scalp tingle.
When my husband and I started dating, we were long-distanced and tried to make every word of every text count. He would send me the silliest “I love you” memes that he could find. I would send him snippets of poems—some profound, some corny. What can I say? It was love.
And it was hope.
One of my most favorite poets, Jericho Brown, spoke a little bit about this kind of hope in a way that explained my ability to see that love was not only possible but magical in each text, each meme, each poem that we shared. With each text, I forgot that I was a divorced, single-mom who swore she’d never trust in love again. Brown’s brilliance helped me see that every time I hearted his text and sent one in return, I was trading in my predilection to despair for bliss.
In a collaborative piece called One Whole Voice Brown wrote:
Hope is the opposite of desperation—it’s not as comfortable as certainty, and it’s much more certain than longing. It is always accompanied by the imagination, the will to see what our physical environment seems to deem impossible. Only the creative mind can make use of hope. Only a creative people can wield it.
And so, in silly exchanges via texts, I imagined a different love more than I longed for love and hope arrived. Honestly, I must admit that it all felt more corny than creative—but wow, I’m astonished at what such a silly, ongoing, cornier-than-corny text exchange created.
BENEDICTION
May an uncomfortable and uncertain hope arrive with a wicked and wild imagination that can see beyond all desperation that there is love—corny and sweet—love enough for each and every one of us.
I'm kind of embarrassed, but I'd never put the burning bush and the flames of the Holy Spirit together. Thank you for sharing the poet and poem to do that, how utterly beautiful!🙏
Marcie this was lovely: "Hope is the opposite of desperation—it’s not as comfortable as certainty, and it’s much more certain than longing." He really hits that mark. I agree with you that poets are able to touch that soft center in between, and offer it to us.
I think a while ago you asked me what my newsletter is about... I tried to find where you had asked that to go back and respond, but I couldn't! Thank you for asking. I am still trying to figure out what Soft Launch will be about, but am happy to keep you updated. :)