Bill Dahl

Uninspired by life,
Dusk descending all around.
Looking desperately for hope,
Listening for its sound.

The mundane, the routine
These mates accompany me today.
I yearn for a different companion,
To help me rise above dismay.

As I exit the alley,
Burdened with this dread.
I meet a familiar voice,
“Lift your chin! Look ahead!”

Meandering down side streets,
A whisper lifting the other.
Buoyed by the realization,
We’re created for one another.

Do you have those days in life?
When you’re simply going through the commotion?
Trudging through patches of desert wasteland,
Thirsting for a life-sustaining potion?

My guess is that you have.
If you haven’t, you surely will.
Just remember, you’re not alone:
In a valley, or preparing to climb a hill.

Just when you think you can’t go on -
Slogging in knee-deep dread.
Raise your eyes beyond the path before you,
Allow hope to raise its head.

As you gaze through the trees,
A hint of light comes into view.
“Is there relief at the end of this tunnel?
Is Someone coming to my rescue?”

That distant light up ahead:
Perhaps a ray of hope’s high beam.
Lessens the burden of it all -
Piercing pessimism’s seam.

One thing I know about times like these -
Of this I’m certain; absolutely sure.
There’s no immunity to these moments.
They are times we all endure.

When life sings this song-
Incapacitating you within this drone.
In the dreadful deafness of it all,
Remember: You’re not alone.