this has been brewing for a few days, and i "hope" you will be impacted by the metaphor. it's so strange to see our icons leave this world, and i had to go somewhere with my random musings, so why not here? "hope" to see you in the big town, bob; this one's for you...

today, hope died
bob, that is

hope drew my attention to
the bright side, the goofy side
hope transformed my thoughts
to flying up from falling down
hope brought teeny unexpected
smiles and chuckles
hope taught me about humor
and its power as a coping tool
hope helped me and all of us
hang on in times of war
all kinds of war
hope showed me how to
cherish and reminisce
hope modelled class
and grace under pressure
hope distracted me from doldrums
and gave me giggles instead
hope replaced my blahs
with ha-ha's
hope was a pillar, a wonder, a star
hope sprinkled joy dust into this clay jar

today, hope died
bob, that is

as i was approaching the soul danger zone
in mercy, you tossed me a two-sided bone
on the verge of numbness to the nth degree
in wisdom, you had alternate plans for me

one side was a trip to smokey joe's cafe
an invitation to shake, shout, and sashay
an opus of frenzy i don't touch too often
an effort to avoid the sad joyless coffin

the other side was a glimpse of a dreamcoat
that kept my titanic much longer afloat
choosing forgiveness and faith over hate
joseph turned out to be quite a soulmate

it could be a prelude of a brand new start
or the last blast of passionate joy from my heart
but i'll always be thankful that down from your throne
you tossed belladonna a two-sided bone