On May 23, 2022, I was invited to be a speaker at the Rotary Club of Menlo Park’s 37th Annual Scholastic Achievement Awards, which honored students from Menlo-Atherton High School, Eastside College Preparatory, Sacred Heart Preparatory, and East Palo Alto Academy. Here are lines of hope I organized into a community poem, contributed by the scholars.
These Hopeful Days
A Community Poem by Menlo Park Rotary Scholars, curated by San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto (Prompt: “I Hope”)
I hold on
to what springs eternal,
like a thing with feathers
perching on a twig,
on the lookout
for an audacity of red-
hued daylilies.
I hope for my furry friend
to get better.
I hope to help my family
who hopes to give back
to my community
who hopes to live freely.
I hope to reach my goals
to never give up
to have a happy life.
I hope people can have
inner peace
so we can be happy
so we can learn to treat
each other with kindness
so we can save
and protect our planet
so we can live
and hope together.
Days like this
bring you back,
like a thing with feathers,
perching, more wondrous.
Aileen Cassinetto 