You are currently viewing The Delicious Aroma of Hope

The Delicious Aroma of Hope

When I sat down to write my end of year blog post, words didn’t come, in large part because this year has been so traumatizing.

So I quieted my mind as best I could and turned to the genre that allows me to process trauma and grief.

 

 

My anger roils

like the water I set to

boil

The daily atrocities

a slow burn

until they leave behind

nothing

but the stench of the

scorched pot

 

Scorched nation

Scorched world

Scorched planet

 

It’s tempting to hurl

that ruined cookware

with everything I’ve got

 

Like edgy pumpkin chucking

Or axe throwing

with less chance

of gross bodily injury

 

That primal desire is real

 

Maybe I give into it

 

And when my rage is spent

I rest

before I rummage around

and begin to fill

the space where anger

has evaporated

with something else

altogether

 

I gather the ingredients I need

 

Empathy

Love

Compassion

Kindness

Radical Acceptance

 

I gently mix

and set them to simmer

for hours

days

years

 

Until they fill the room

the country

the planet

the universe

 

with the delicious aroma

of hope

 

© Diane DeBella

Diane DeBella

As a writer, teacher, and speaker Diane has spent over twenty years examining women’s issues. She is the author of the collective memoir *I Am Subject: Sharing Our Truths to Reclaim Our Selves*, and editor of the anthology *I Am Subject Stories: Women Awakening*. As a long-time faculty member at the University of Colorado, she received the CU Women Who Make a Difference Award and the CU-LEAD Alliance Faculty Appreciation Award. Through her organization I Am Subject, Diane helps us understand how we—as women—are impacted by the society in which we live. By claiming ourselves as subjects of our own lives, we become empowered and also provide strong role models for other women and girls. In healing ourselves we help others—a beautiful way for women to create nurturing, supportive communities.

Leave a Reply