Hope

I whisper to Hope
"Save me! Save me!"
Sweat dribbles down her dark cheeks 
And she waggles a meaty finger at me
"Baby don't you know?"
My kneecaps clatter to the gritty ground
As I tug at the corners of her African robes
"Save me! Save me, Hope!"
She grips my face in one large hand, 
Her brown eyes ripping at the seams 
"Baby don't you know?" she repeats 
"I'm nothing but a dream."

-anna sluder

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