By Emily Stonehouse

It’s dark, the nights are long.

Swirling snow and screaming winds, we wake up to dig ourselves out.

Every day.

But, it’s getting lighter.

The days are stretching thin.

Wisps of daylight curling around the edges of darkness.

The promise of warmth reaches the roses of our cheeks.

The news is bad.

All of it.

Innocent people killed, decisions made that impact our future.

The lives of our children, suddenly up for debate.

But, there is good news.

A new life brought into the world.

My son, belly laughing at a chickadee who visits our windowsill.

Care crushing cruelty, love limping over lashing.

The future is fake.

Artificial intelligence clambering up the hill.

Its role in our world leaves creatives crumbling.

But, there is beauty.

Somewhere out there, an artist is exploring a canvas.

A dancer twirls.

A musician sobs at the power of it all.

The world burns.

Wildfires rage, species shrivel up and die.

The last drops of water become a reality, as trees are toppled.

But, there is hope.

New inventions, prioritized politics.

Somewhere in the cold hard ground, a seed cracks open.

Certain that there is light above.

The bullies have won.

We watch them, every day.

Their mouths spewing hate, their actions causing harm.

Unraveling years of growth; diminishing decades to a spool of thread.

But, there is love.

People who look to the light.

Who side with good over evil.

Advocate instead of oppress.

Believe instead of bully.

The world is filled with polarizations. We live in a state of existence that tugs at our capacities. Through the screens where we absorb our world, we are shown every side of the sphere.

We must decide what to do with that constant inundation of information. It’s easy to turn to the dark, but we must challenge every flip of the coin with the knowledge that there is another side. Hate, but love. Bad, but good, fake, but real, dark, but light.

There is hope, on that flipped side. Even during the darkest of days.

And while we may not always see it, at the very least, we must believe it is there.

Like the seed that seeks light.

A power in perspective, through the rawness of reality.