In the Midst of Doom ‘n Gloom, To what and to whom will you now turn? (Where, o where,will you find hope In the Wastelands of Despair?)
When the world out there
looks like it’s going through
an eclipse that will never end…
When it appears inevitable
that doom 'n gloom are all there is,
when what we breathe
isn’t air but despair...
And when it feels like
on the land ‘n sea
there lurks the lifeless specter
of life long lost…
And the living rooms of family life
and the classrooms of school life
and the meeting rooms of corporate life
are emptyful…
having become the lucrative property
of a smooth paved-over global cemetery
sordid with strife…
And when almost everyone’s succumbed
to the malodorous vice of suffocating from
the stench of the flowers of evil,
and although dying from overconsumption
from the poisonous fruits of despair,
we nevertheless continue to sow
the seeds of corruption, foul ‘n unfair…
When no promised
mismeasure of populism
or unfair share of techno-optimism
or concocted ‘n jaded activism
or late night show cynicism
will do…
When you haven’t just been
knocked down but out,
counted out ‘n disposed
and the hour’s later than late…
and it appears that the world’s
innovating like hell
to make sure that in its markets
hell’s residents can buy ‘n sell ‘n live well,
and cursed appears our fate…
In the midst of doom ‘n gloom,
to what and to whom
will you now turn?
Where, o where,
will you find hope
in the wastelands of despair?
Where will you find true hope unfailing,
living hope most true calling –
the hope that your life utterly depends on,
hope transcending mere animal survival
awakening the soul to true revival
leading straight to the heart of the matter
rung by rung, ascending the ladder
of hope beyond hope…
Hope beyond its hypocritical plagiarizers
‘n their toxic cultured despisers,
hope beyond its clever identify thieves
‘n misappropriating wannabes
and all the dungeons of despair…
labeled “enter the realm of hope most fair”.
In the midst of doom ‘n gloom,
to what and to whom
will you now turn?
Where, o where,
will you find hope
in the wastelands of despair?
And how will you now, in turn,
nurture living hope in return?
How will you cultivate ‘n keep alive
the tree of the truly good life
bearing living fruits of real hope
rife ‘n ripe with wholesome healing?
Living fruits of real hope
inspiring souls to awaken ‘n dare
once more for the Life of life to care,
and this in the midst of ruthless ruins
that threaten to dishearten ‘n ruin
the heart’s labor of neighborly love
to carry out revival ‘n repair
How will you continue to hold on to hope
despite the noose of horror’s rope
woven of despondency, of uprooted lives,
shattered to pieces, rife with blight?
How will you continue to hold on to hope
despite chaos, confusion, cacophony
that bombards soul bodies into absurdity
with “cling to one false hope
after another” or
“abandon all hope forevermore”?
How will you plant hope, keep hope alive,
plant seeds of light in the dark of night
and in the course of night
attend to ‘n care
for the blessed tree of secret hope?
Suddenly Wisdom’s hopeful voice
broke through the hopeless din ‘n noise
and with mute eloquence spoke:
“Remember the roots!
Go back to the roots!
It’s all about the need for roots.
It’s all about real rootedness.
This blessed tree of secret hope
this blessed soul tree that you are
needs to be doubly rooted, upright,
at once in the heavens
‘n beneath your feet,
at once within the sacred heart
at once without the world about.
Be rooted now and nurtured by
the gardener’s life-giving hands
that your life may
in good time faithfully bear
wholesome, savory fruit most fair
upon the morn that is most nigh,
upon the vast earth that is most nigh.”
“Tree of Life” (Lal Bagh, Bangalore, 2024) by Faisal Khan
Special thanks goes to Faisal Khan for granting permission to share this image from his witness-photography series entitled “Tree of Life” (2024) on the Words of Wonder blog.