Copyright Roger Bultot
I thought I’d got over it. And for the most part, I had.
But not, you understand,
to the extent that I emerged
whole, unchanged,
a carbon copy of my former self.
Emerging into the light,
dazzled, bemused,
I indulged in a brief inventory.
Heart…
Mind…
Vigour…
All in order.
All present and correct.
It was just that tiny black hole that I discovered
as I put my life back together again.
Yes…
it was just the hope that was missing.
Happy New Year to all Friday Fictioneers. Despite the sombre offering this week, I’m actually feeling quite upbeat as the New Year begins. Readers can insert their own word in that last line. Maybe I should have used ‘inspiration’. Thanks once again to Rochelle for all her hard work.
castelsarrasin 
You could even have substituted “despair”, but it wouldn’t, of course, have been so good
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Thanks for reading, Neil.
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“Emerging into the light,” could sum up all our expectations for this New Year.
As for hope, I always find this puts a damper on resilient action. Just my thought.
I enjoyed your format and the inspiration of self-discovery.
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Yes, and maybe even acceptance has just as big a part to play as hope. Thanks for reading.
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I saw similar desolation to start the new year! Evocative writing Sandra, all the best for 2023.
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Thanks for reading, Iain.
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Thought-provoking. I hope there is a good dollop of hope in 2023. Happy new year 🙂
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Thanks for reading.
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🙂
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Hope is a powerful entity. Here’s to hope and 2023 🥂!
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Thanks Tanille, happy New Year!
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Each hurt, each challenge, each experience, leaves a little (or large) mark, affecting how we see things, making us more wary or cynical.
Brilliant piece, Sandra.
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Thanks Dale, you’re right. Perhaps we never truly get over things, we just learn to get through them.
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I truly believe that.
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Dear Sandra,
As others have said, I echo. Evocative pieces. Perhaps hope and inspiration are on the horizon, just over the next ridge. Well written in any event.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle. I share your hopes.
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Heart-breaking as it stands, Sandra, but I enjoyed the thought experiment of replacing that word – Neil’s choice of despair makes for a very different feeling. I’m glad the New Year is upbeat for you so far. I hope 2023 turns out to be the best year yet for us all.
Jen
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Thanks for reading Jen. I share your hope.
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This is beautiful, Sandra.
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Many thanks Linda.
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A+++ Piercing insight here about trauma survivors.
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Well done. It makes me want to know more about the speaker.
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Thanks for reading.
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Well done, Sandra. A thinkers story. 🙂
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Never been short on thought. Action… well… 🙂 Thanks for reading.
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🙂 I’ll think about that.
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Hope springs eternal, it’ll return in time, you see.
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Here’s hoping then. Thanks for reading Keith.
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I would insert ‘mojo’ as hope springs eternal, but I know what you mean.
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Thanks for reading, Liz.
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I’ve just left a comment on yours but for some reason wordpress won’t let me comment as anything other than ‘anonymous’ on your site. It’s just one of about six different responses I get these days when I try to comment on wordpress sites.
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Beautiful!
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Thank you, Dawn.
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to paraphrase one of jane austen’s character, she hopes the longest when all hopes are gone.
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Thanks for reading, and for the quote.
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Hope is one of those things we can’t live with, can’t live without. Depending on the circumstances, of course. False hope can be worse than no hope.
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So true. Thanks for reading.
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“That tiny black hole”: an understatement of tragic despair that leaves us with a lump in our throats. Exquisitely rendered, and as usual, not a word wasted, Sandra.
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Many thanks Isadora.
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Lovely piece of writing Sandra
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Thanks for reading.
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Wow! This was moving. Where there is life, in whichever form and condition it is, may there always be hope.
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I hope that too. Thanks for reading.
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Aww this is soo sad to me.
I found myself feeling a bit despondent the other day.
Hope is so vital …
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It’s the time of year for that, but the days are getting longer! Thanks for reading.
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Lovely and poetic.
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Wonderful and very powerful in its darkness. Replacement would take the strength of the poem away I think.
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This story shows your usual skill in hooking your reader and leading us on to a satisfying ending. In fact, this story goes on beyond the written ending, because that loss of hope is important – life and death hang upon it.
Good story!
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I can only echo other comments, as my muse is on a go slow,
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Dear Sandra . Thank you for your poem. Love the rhythm and wording. Sending you a little hope your way, sunny today.
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This is lovely, Sandra!
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