Breath & Shadow
Winter 2025 - Vol. 22, Issue 1
"Hope Is"
written by
Laura Briskin
Hope is a skill
A discipline you create
Something you choose
Even as it’s easy to lose
Hope is a weapon
Hope is a shield
Not to have or to take
If not found,
then it’s time to make
Make it from Willpower
Make it from Spite
Make it from Love
Weaponize them all in a fight
Hope is a spark
You nurse for yourself
Hard to get and
Hard to maintain
Until you’ve nursed it
Into a flame
Root it in you
Hand it around
Light a candle in the dark
Illuminate the way
Shine
For you and for others
An end in itself
And a means to an end
Where hope has been
Life continues to grow
I will plant my seeds
And join others in Hope
Laura Briskin-Limehouse lives on the East Coast of the USA with their partner, child, cat, and puppy. When not cataloging manuscripts in their day job, they write, edit TTRPGs, cook, record with their podcast crew Technical Difficulties Gaming Podcast, and sometimes even get to read more books. They have writing credits in table-top role-playing games Eclipse Phase, Hard Wired Island, and Red Markets, in addition to editorial credits in several other table-top role-playing games. In 2023 they were accepted to and attended the juried workshop Futurescapes.