Hope is Dancing

James Roethlein

Lying alone each night, empty arms aching,

all the while

hope is dancing

hope is dancing

hope is dancing

in my dreams

when I’m awake I would seek to see

the sunshine in your face

the heavens in your eyes

and to hear the melodic honey of your lips

that would turn my lemonade soul sweet.

And I would hope

And I would hope

And I would hope

you’d dance duet with me

all the years we have left.

More from James Roethlein ↓

• @jroeth71 on Instagram
• His books: Musing on the Cricket Game of Life Part 1 1/2 (2018), An Extravagant Way of Saying Nothing (2020), Letters to Roxanne (2022), and Writing With Scissors (2022)

Mentioned in this episode:

One Poem Only submissions are open.

This round, I’m looking for poems about what remains. What stays with us after we experience change? What survives? What do we yearn to carry forward? Send me the poem you wrote and want the world to hear. Also, if you’d like to read your own poem on the podcast, you can. Submit a clear audio file recorded in a quiet space—no perfect studio recording required. And yes, your poem can have been previously published in a literary magazine, a book, or on social media. Submissions close Thursday, October 29. I’ll respond by Wednesday, November 11. Whether I read your poem or you read it yourself, I’d love to hear what you have to share.

One Poem Only Submissions Form