WHEN THE LIGHT CAME AGAIN

Words by Jade Swayne 

There was a time when the people had hope like the clouds had rain, like the stream had fish. 

There was time when the people believed and thought about the good all around them, focused on the bright light shining all about the past, present and future 

There was a time when the generous earth gave, and the people abundantly received 

And then 

Something changed and the people began to dabble in the realm of doubt 

Something shifted the people and the bright eyes they elevated to the glorious past, present and future grew dim and dark… 

The people began to look down 

The people become more aquatinted with their feet than their endless sky 

The people lost hope 

And as hope was lost, so too was the bliss 

And as hope was lost, so too was the joy 

And as hope was lost, so too was the eagerness 

And anxiety swept the land like a great blackened curtain, 

Blocking the minds of the people from seeing a future made of anything but terror 

And the people began to harm themselves 

And the people began to harm eachother 

And the people began to harm the earth 

And the people began to despair 

And the people began to deplete 

And the people began to drown in sorrow 

And the people began to drink deep the doubt 

For generations on generations, piled like bricks making up a thick wall, the people feel deeper and deeper into darkness — further and further into remorse, and guilt, and shame, and grief, and agony, and fear, and depravity 

They feel and feel, towards a ground that said ‘this is life, this is all there is…’ 

And they feel and they feel, one by one, and then cluster after cluster, next community following community 

They went down down down, until there was nowhere further to go 

A dungeon floor covered with the ancestors of the high hoping believers that made the world beautiful — this fallen offspring their legacy? 

No 

One on that prison floor slept and dreamed of a world that was light. 

That one told another, and that other believed light was real— even as they were surrounded by darkness 

That other told more, and they believed light was real— even as they were surrounded by darkness

That more began creating items in their cell with whatever they could find expressing their belief in light 

The creations of the more inspired the evermore and they began to create and speak of night visions they had of the light 

The evermore became the throng and the throng became the collective and the collective became the gathering and the gathering became the ladder 

A ladder? 

Yes. 

As these fellows dwelt in the darkness, they dreamt and imagined and duplicated the influence of and felt the light upon their skin before they were in it 

And swiftly they began to stack their visions and their dreams and their belief and their longing for the light until a new word arrived to their collective mind 

And the word was hope 

And this new word visited the people in their prison and taught them of more 

And this new word visited the people in their prison and taught them ways to escape darkness and enter light 

And this new word visited the people in their prison and they choose to believe the the impressions resting upon their heart when hope spoke to them 

Next thing you know they’re working together to rise from their holding cell 

Next thing you know they’re arm in arm 

Hand in hand 

Lifting eachother 

Standing on the body of their neighbor 

Sacrificing their own bodies 

Their own livelihood 

Their own well-being for those around them 

Knowing those around them have every intention of doing the same 

The word hope taught them to trust eachother 

The word hope taught them to be committed to eachother 

And as hope grew in popularity the people moved from out of their prison back into the light their ancestors knew 

And when they arose squinting from out of the abyss they clapped their hands and cried, hugging one another as they witness as One the world they had dreamed into reality — the world they had built as One, for One. 

As individuals they feel to the floor into the dark, but as a collection of individuals bound by heart as One, they regained the light that only hope could guide them to. 

And thus, they live in the light to this day and speak of the dark to their children and their children’s children — until the knowledge of light and darkness were equally known and equally respected. Equally understood, choosing their mastery of hope everyday — while respecting the potential for falling into the abyss again should they depart from hopes gentle side and path and teachings.