Hope is…

by Eliza Cortes Bast

Hope is,

Hope is a seed.

Hope bumps its hunched back against the natural shell, 

Insisting to meet the ground.

It breaks into the earth, pierces the space around.

Hope is,

Hope is a spark.

Shooting out from my fingers,

Pow, pow, pow!

Hitting the powder on the ground,

Blasting like fireworks to the dark.

It screams,

I (boom) am (crash) here (pow).

Hope is,

Hungry wildfire,

Desperate hungry flame.

Forage, fierce consumer,

Wraps its arms around the tinder.

Hope is not delicate.

Hope runs screaming

Into the rain

Into the fire

Into the hail of bulls and bullets,

Explosion in the chest.

The womb of revolutions,

Sets it shoulders against the waves

Hope fumes like thunder against the noise,

I (boom) am (crash) here (pow).

— by Eliza Cortes Bast

bio:

Eliza Cortes Bast is a fierce and honest follower of Jesus. She is a pastor and denominational executive, dedicated to helping churches think missionally. She lives into her passion by connecting people, advocating for the community, and helping organizations think strategically so they can be healthy, vibrant, and sustainable. Eliza lives in Michigan with her patient and handsome husband EJ, and their two boys. Her loves include her home country Puerto Rico, her interracial marriage, a good steak, salsa dancing, writing, empowering emerging leaders, making the impossible possible, Diet Coke, and mentoring. She is not a big fan of anger without action, generalizations, basketball, and saying you can’t live without coffee. She believes you can because she believes in you.