Leaving Hope
I’ve changed my relationship
with hope, she said;
Hope used to be a gentleman caller,
arriving with charm and good cheer,
Daisies or Mums in hand
and wanting to just visit a while
before our date;
but hope has turned unfaithful,
taking advantage of a trust
I offered up so unquestioningly,
making promises
he never meant to keep,
sneaking around and trying his charms
on others not so weak
so I’ve turned my back
on hope,
wised up to his trickery,
and taken instead to embracing
despair,
an exchange I can’t regret
because at least I know,
despite the loneliness,
I never will be left.
Barry Gordon
Barry Gordon is a recently retired
psychologist. He has authored Your Father, Your Self (Birch Lane Press) and
co-authored two other professional works. He has been writing poetry since he
was a teen, but seldom submitted for publishing. His poem In Therapy was Awarded
Third Prize in the International Library of Poetry and poetry.com competition in
2002.