Find the Ember

Find the Ember

Sadness
Fear 
Confusion
Distrust
Guilt
Shame
Anger
Sadness

All seething
Within
Pressing
From all sides
Threatening
Explosion

The world
On fire
Innocent lives
Destroyed
Collateral damage
Homes
Infrastructure
Years of work
Up in flames

Where is love?
Can we find space
In our troubled hearts
For love?

Can we step away
From the noise
Smoke, lies
And find the peace
We require
To clear our vision
Grieve our losses

Can we step away
And acknowledge
The shame
We may feel
As citizens
Of this country 
and the monumental
Frustration 
Overtaking us
as we feel
Held hostage
By a regimen
of evil, greed
Corruption and the lust
for power 
and adulation

Can we step away
From the noise
To find peace
And love
Deep within
Our souls?

Can we embrace quiet
And listen
For the voice
As persistent
And gentle
As hummingbird wings
The voice
That will guide us
Empower us
And grant us
The courage
To go on living
Defiantly
A life of love
And service
To the people?

Love cannot
Be extinguished
Find the spark
The ember
Deep within 

Feed that light
Fan the flame
Reside in the hope
that
Together
We will
Someday
Overcome 
The darkness.  


Patricia O’Connor
March 1, 2026