Inspire Hope
I am in a common despair. So in order for me to have hope, it is crucial to stack fifty pounds of books on the left-hand side of my bed. I cover him tightly with my warmest woolen blankets. This boyfriend is named Shiver. He is best left alone to his thoughts. But one night, I will accidentally roll into him. He’ll fall on me with such grace and with the acceleration of all of history.
Copyright © 2013 by Amy Lawless. Used with permission of the author. This poem appeared in Poem-A-Day on July 16, 2013. Browse the Poem-A-Day archive.
"I was thinking of loneliness, the writer’s life, and the sexiness of literature. 'Shiver' was the funniest name I could decide upon for a pile of books wrapped in a wool blanket. Do you ever fall asleep with a book or two beside you? Think of duality, of where the mind goes, how quickly it can go there, and the suggestiveness of the word 'acceleration.' The word 'hope' is defined as a cherished desire with anticipation. Hopes are accelerative in one’s thoughts, aren’t they?"
—Amy Lawless