What Are You

In the desert, she is stranded
Trudging on, soon to be dead
Sun scorches on, unaffected
She is burned, and parched.

But then she sees you,
The green of an oasis
With promises of water
And fruit, rejuvenating
She dives in and swims
And cries, beatific at this reprieve

In the night, he is cold
Frigid and chilled to the bone
Teeth chattering, feet going numb
The silent winds roar on, relentless

But then he hears you,
The crackle of a fire
With promises of warmth
And life, soothing and stroking
Him like a home’s hearth
He sighs, thanking the fire that keeps him going

In the barren, it grows scared
Of the uncertainty that is tomorrow
Will it get water, get sunshine?
Or is the seedling’s existence meaningless?

But then it feels you,
The swell of confidence,
With promises of a bloom
And so grows the seedling
Bravely, leaves and a bud
Which opens up to look at the sky, radiant

But now she can’t breathe, she’s drowning
In the sand
And he realizes that the cold was bearable
The fire is simply burning him up now
And the flower is severed away,
Smelled once and thrown out of the way

Are you a mirage, an illusion?
Or a lure away from despair into something worse?
Or a promise that goes unfulfilled?

There lies her body, floating in the sand
There lie his ashes, frosting in the cold
There lies the bright rose, now dried up, morose
What are you, hope?