Echoes of Hope Stanza 1 – My POV I give my lantern One last chance. I give My heart’s desire. Then I let go. I watch As everyone does the same— The soft glow Sharing each wish With the world. But I notice something. The lanterns Are talking. The bold one Carries a wish Of courage. The shy one Carries not a wish, But a quiet Apology Or a secret Dream. The dreamer— One who carries a wish For something impossible— It glows Pastel hues Dancing on midnight blues. Then the lantern of the past Carries a memory, Not a wish. They fly, Flapping in the wind, Up in the sky, Gliding free— Until the wish Can join you In life Down below. Stanza 2 – Flame (Courage Lantern) POV Oh, hello. Are you looking For me? I’m Flame, Because I carry The wishes of courage. You should really Try to be brave. Nothing can stop you Once you are. I’m getting a new wish After my old one Came true. I can’t wait To fly And glide In the wind. The girl Lets me go. I twist and turn As I float Up above And shine A light— Very radiant And bright. Nothing Can stop My beautiful shine. Are you one Who wishes for courage? If yes, You may have let go Of me. Stanza 3 – Grace (Shy Lantern) POV Umm… Hi. Can you go, Please? I’d like to be alone. You want to be friends? Why didn’t you say so? Silly kid. Anyway… My old wish Was: I wish I wasn’t lonely. My wishes Are wishes No one Can know. This time, I carry a quiet apology. I don’t know why They use up their wishes. I don’t understand them. I float up. I follow The others, Behind golden light, Unsure if I belong. I have an apology, Not a wish. Oh— By the way, I’m Grace, Because peace And quiet Go with grace. So yeah. I don’t know If I should be here. I believe I should go Somewhere Where I belong— And that’s not Here. Somewhere people Understand quiet. A soft, peaceful dream. But I guess I stay. You agree? Okay… I guess I’m staying. Stanza 4 – Midnight (Dreamer Lantern) POV Hey! Are you the stars? Oh— It’s just you. Great. I thought the stars Would notice me. Don’t you love them? I wonder— Which way do they move? Do they like me? Am I perfect to them? Will they notice me? Have they noticed me? What if they never do? Okay, Okay. My wishes Are said to be “Impossible.” But impossible is literally “I’m possible.” There is no impossible When you’re with the stars. I wish to be a unicorn. Very possible. I wish The stars will notice me. Possible. (That’s my wish, Even though I’m a wish lantern.) Impossible is Possible. My lantern person Lets me go With the wish You say is “Impossible.” I wish The sky were rainbow. Possible. I float up To my star friends. They will notice me. They will. Stanza 5 – Histoa (Past Lantern) POV Hello. Were you looking For old me? I’m older Than anything you see. And I carry A special type of wish. A memory. Like… Of your old fish. I carry An old, old one (Kinda a pun). It’s joyfulish. It’s goodish. One of great story. You want me to tell you? Well… grab your popcorn. One day There was a man. A very fellow man. With dark hair And an eye of despair. Despite this, He was kind And wise. We needed him. Then there was The fire In the school. He taught. He went in To save everyone. At a huge price. His life. Sometimes I drift And echo yesterday’s story. I carry what was Not what will be. Like wishes, I glow. But brighter. Because the weight Can finally show. I observe As the others float up. My owner cries As she lets me go. A weight lifted. A memory Never going To be lost. No longer fragile In your big heart, Full Of the deepest sadness And the deepest happiness.
