Hope is impossible when you look,
and actually see,
when you witness the fires,
the wild winds and the
ferocious rains.

Hope is impossible when you feel the heat
of your silver earrings against your neck
after minutes outside and you pray
that the power grid doesn’t fail.

Hope is impossible when you listen
to the myths being spun by
those who don’t want to see change and instead
want to bank on destruction.

Hope is impossible when you comprehend
thousands of penguin chicks
drowning on melting ice and the deaths of
deer and otters and falcons and – then –
us, our family and friends.

Hope is impossible when
you know it is only getting more
dire and
there is nothing, just nothing,
to do to stem
the tide of despair.