Hope
Both noun and verb
Often followed by a that clause
Or an infinitive clause
Making the object of a sentence
The object of hope

Specification
Specify
That which is hoped for

I believe hope is a sentimental term
Many a meaning
Many a context
Some contest that hope can mean anything
For those abandoned by options
But have they really?
Have their options truly ran out?

Limited by rules and regulations
How about the right to try?

Farm a land of new solutions
Harvest whatever you may find

Experiment all drugs that could deliver
As some hope
Much hope, little hope, no hope
Can hope be had in degrees?
What angle do we need to justify hope?

Is hope for a cure more realistic than hope for quality of life?
Should the first hope be held to a lesser degree than the second?
If to be had at all?
Perhaps it is more useful to judge hope when the facts concerning the risks and chances a patient is willing to take, as well as their expectations, are known and compatible with drug trial evidence
Or do we judge hope based purely on evidence of safety and efficacy?

Phase 1: Hope denied
Phase 2: Ground for some hope
Phase 3: Hope some more

False hope
A bitter pill
Hope is the swallow
Announcing summer
Anchored in deep desires
A final chance to stay afloat
Give me the object of hope

The adjective false negates the positive connotation of hope
Isn't false hope just bad expectations?
Expect: high degree of certainty
Hope: mere possibility
What should be the threshold?

Some might say "their precarious situation incapacitates them to assess their own predicament and they are, so to speak, blinded by hope"
Maybe false hope is a misconception of misestimation
Or maybe something else
But is it ever just false?
Is it not genuine?
Is it treacherous?
Does it lie and deceive?
Does it bite or growl?
Does it scratch and itch?
Does it hurt?

Isn't hope inherently ill-founded?
I mean... if we knew, we knew
Maybe, just maybe, hope is just hope

©Bas van der Kruk