A butcher gave me a rotten piece of meat
chased around by flies
threw it on the backyard compost pit
snakes and wandering dogs dilly-dallied not

A beggar man gave me a broken button
in exchange of alms
threw it on the sideline of the road
a child picked it up

put it in his pocket
bought a lemonade
he smiled and stared
back on a button-full pocket

a bleeding hand and sharpened knife
stained clump of calabash seeds
emptied it somewhere behind the kitchen sink
where leaves grew and vines intertwined

hope fill up empty places
from thrown away lives
sprout from nowhere
from trash and useless things

hope is a seed given by a loving heart
thrown away by those that appreciate it not
found by the needy and broken
casts lights on the downtrodden

hope adds another reason to live
a space in the heart to forgive
hope rises like the sun
every morn on the horizon

when curtains are drawn it persists
it reaches out in slivers and warmth
do you have it's tiny seed?
perhaps a button or piece of rotten meat?

tell me where its buried
I'll dig and look for it...
any, just any piece of it
for another day to live