Last Wednesday evening my GC 101 (Christianity and Global Citizenship) class went to hear two speakers dialogue on the topic of Truth and Reconciliation after TRC. The TRC is a commission established by the government of Canada to address the horrid legacy of Indian Residential School system and began shortly after the formal apology by the Canadian government in 2008. The commission’s mandate was extended but will soon be complete. Many of us are asking “What next?” The dialogue was a propos to the topic of the class that day: Where do we find hope?
I had helped organize the dialogue, and so had some hosting responsibilities after the dialogue proper. Consequently I had one of my colleagues take over my class until the point came when I would be able to get back. It took twenty minutes or so and she had, in the interim, written the word “Hope” on the blackboard, and then invited students to come to the board and write words to respond to the theme of hope. You can see the results:
When I came into the class she told me it was now up to me to make some poetry with these words, so here it goes:
How can we sing hope?
Where will we find strength to suffice?
Whence reassurance and solace for our spirit?
How can faith forge a future?
Is it possible apart from forgiveness and its revelation of revolution:
a refusal to render eye for eye? A freedom to
love the neighbor no matter what,
no matter where?
How can we love?
Love’s continuities, love’s capabilities, love reliabilities
escape me. I fail to love even me. I am undone
and so only won by the One whose
promise, whose
plan place me
in the divine palm.
And there, there in the nail scars
God’s trust in me thrusts even me
into love divine,
into faith fleet of foot
into holy hope.
stillvoicing 
A good musing on a pregnant word and a great way to open dialogue. What did the students say afterward?
We’ll find out on Wednesday! They haven’t seen it yet. I’ll let you know.
Wow, what a challenge – but you rose to it! Those were some great words relating to hope.
Thanks for the encouragement. They’re a great group!
I love the way you used all these words in this poem, Allen. What a talent you are xxxx
You are too kind. It is interesting to do something “creative” with what you have been given, although in a sense I guess we do that all the time!
I find that I, too, am “undone” and “so only won by the One” who offers holy hope. What a lovely meditation on love and hope.
Thanks for commenting. It was an interesting task, and not of my making!