PJN Advent Series: A Confession of Hopelessness

By, Naomi McQuiller

Is it fair to hope?

We hope for ceasefire, and yet,
arms from the U.S. are sent one day,
and used to bomb schools the next.

We hope for safety and common good,
but the ones who are to “protect and serve”
do so with prejudice and
instruments of death in their
hip holsters.

We hope for justice,
but it evades those in
positions of power.

Some say there is peace, but it
is nowhere to be found.

Is it fair to hope?
More than ever, it is.
We hope – for the decapitated children,
the fathers who are nothing but body
parts in a bag.

Where is hope? 
It exists among us – in the air
we breathe.
It rides in on the wind,
like the kites that are meant to be
flown by Palestinian children.

Naomi McQuiller (she/hers) is a native of Sumter, South Carolina and is a member of Sumter Second Presbyterian Church. Naomi is a student at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. She holds a B.A. in Individualized Studies with minors in Educational Studies and Peace, Justice, and Conflict Resolution Studies from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. Naomi also received her M.Ed. in Learning, Diversity, and Urban Studies from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. When seeking renewal, Naomi enjoys attending plays and musicals, playing with her Pomeranian, Zeus, and spending time with friends and family.