The Dark Side of HOPE

Inspired by a personal loss, this poem explores how hope and fear can quietly distort judgment and pull us away from reality.

In contribution to the prompt shared in White Rabbit Poetry Society this week, hosted by Dorie Snow/雪多丽

(Poetry prompt)

This poem explores the darker side of hope:
the way the desire to win, the fear of losing, and the illusion of the “easy path” can sometimes pull us away from reality.

After a personal misadventure, I found myself wondering:

What if some forms of hope distance us from reality
while giving us the feeling that we are moving forward?

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The Dark Side of Hope

Sweet feeling, passion, devotion.
Heartbeats rushing, a source of motivation.
Against my reason, you always seem right.
Gentle, seductive—oh sweet poison.

You encourage me, filling me with emotion.
In the face of fear, you make your intrusion.
You silence my doubts without permission.
My heart trembles, carried by your sensation.

Oh old fox, deceiver on a mission.
A wolf’s heart beneath the skin of a lamb.
Beautiful promises, beautiful expectations—
leading me toward my own destruction.

If fear blinds our vision,
you push us toward reckless decisions.
You and fear alike, kings of disappointment—
throwing logic and reason into prison.

Dreams and riches, paths toward ruin.
Manipulations, affection without foundation.
Oh hope, cradle of illusions…
A great elevation—only for a cleaner execution.

You encourage me only to leave me abandoned.
You laugh at the table of my condemnation.
Feeding on my innocent intentions—
do you still believe in my healing?

But I rise again, far from your domination.
Your shadow fades outside my home.
I reclaim my heart, my path, my direction—
and your fall begins… the moment I find liberation.

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Original Work (French Version)

La Face Sombre de l’Espoir

Doux sentiment, passion, dévotion.
Des palpitations, source de motivation.
De ma raison, tu as raison.
Caressant, séduisant, ô doux poison.

Tu m’encourages, tu m’emplis d’émotion.
Face à ma peur, tu fais ton intrusion.
Tu chasses mes doutes, sans permission.
Mon cœur sursaute, porté par tes frissons.

Ô vieux renard, trompeur en mission.
Cœur de loup sous la peau d’un mouton.
Belles promesses, belles expectations —
Tu m’entraînes vers ma propre destruction.

Si la peur nous bloque la vision,
Toi, tu pousses toujours à la précipitation.
Toi comme lui, des rois de la déception —
La logique, la raison… vous jetez en prison.

Rêves et richesses, conduits à la perdition.
Manipulations, affections sans fondation.
Ô espoir, berceau d’illusions…
Grande élévation — pour mieux la décapitation.

Tu m’encourages pour mieux me laisser dans l’abandon.
Tu ricanes à la table de ma condamnation.
Profiteur de mes innocentes intentions,
Crois-tu encore à ma guérison ?

Je me relève, loin de ta domination.
Ton ombre s’éteint, hors de ma maison.
Je reprends mon cœur, ma route, ma direction —
Et ta chute commence… au moment de ma libération.

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Mirror question:

Have you ever held onto a hope so tightly that it slowly pulled you away from reality?

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Author’s Note

Here’s the funny story.

This poem was born from a basketball bet.

I had the right players, the right picks, and logic on my side. And yet… fear convinced me to abandon them for a “safer” choice. A decision driven by the hope of winning without too much difficulty.

In the end, I lost.
And the very players I had abandoned ended up winning.

I was so angry. I should have won. In that moment, I wanted to hit something, so I poured all that frustration into the hope of winning I had been holding onto.

This is a poem about that moment when you realize that hope is not always a light sometimes, it can also be poison.

Cailin, special tag.

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With clarity,
The Mirror Room
Odel A.