STUDYING HOPE

And the doctor who had just shown his PowerPoint
Saw the hope presentation that followed his,
The presentation about how to evoke the hope experience
And asked, “Is there any hard research to prove it?”
The medical system is committed to evidence.

So I felt a little foolish, defending myself
In the shadow of such a learned man.
And I felt that anything I could say about the mountains of hope research
Could not be enough to gain his respect.

But then I remembered seeing many doctors
For many things across the years
And coming away without a cure
Or researching the cure before I went
And asking for what had not been suggested.

So I figured I’d keep on talking about hope,
Even if they schedule the doctors first on the program
And give them more respect because they’re doctors
Remembering how often they schedule me at the end
Saying they have chosen me especially
Because, after hearing the doctors,
The audience will need some hope.

If you get a reputation for giving hope
Just by making a presentation
Then doesn’t that prove that hope can be evoked?
What more research do we need?