Poem: Even as we sit at the table of hope

The world has lost so much

In just a few months

We lost friends and family

We lost colleagues

We lost our doctors and shopkeepers

We lost our innocence as a world

We lost our freedoms

We lost our security

We lost some of our hopes

We lost some of our dreams

We lost the ability to hug each other

We are drenched in loss

Even as we sit at the table of hope

Dreaming of a new day

We are afflicted by uncertainty

We are drained of all the substance of hope

We are left to ponder and wonder what tomorrow holds

We are left holding onto empty dreams

We have exhausted all our strength

Our courage is dwindling

Our fate is uncertain

Our life is in shambles

We are facing a bleak future

Full of psychological trauma, hunger and hopelessness

Unless we all gather together

And bandage our human spirit

Mend our long broken relationships

Fend for each other

Fight for each other

Feed each other

Clothe each other

Care for each other

Then we will find our strength

Together we will rise up

Together we will be victorious

Together we will walk into the future full of hope

©Kenneth Maswabi