Famed Penticton poet Shane Koyczan has offered some much-needed hope for a better tomorrow through his spoken word.

On New Year’s Eve, Koyczan released his poem Tomorrow on YouTube speaking a message of hope for what 2022 could bring.

With his powerful words, Koyczan says “there will be a tomorrow, there will be dancing, dating, live concerts, beaches and Ferris wheels, open mic and art.”

He says we will know the meaning of essential and speak it with gratitude. He urges people to hang on to make it to better days.

“Stockpile hope like toilet paper,” he says. But he also says it will take time to heal. The way out of this is with love, Koyczan says.

“I wrote this piece as the pandemic was starting, but two years in I think it’s relevant as we move into a new year,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

Koyczan himself opened up to say the pandemic and isolation have taken a toll on his mental health.

“I’ve had a pretty demoralizing few years living in isolation. There’s been a lot of hope and disappointment. A lot of setting up tours and cancelling them,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

“I’ve managed to muddle my way through the last two years, but like many of us, the exhaustion of living this way has taken its toll. My mental health has taken a beating and I’ve been living off savings throughout this ordeal.

“I’m definitely nearing the end of my rope and the finish line continues to move farther away. Having said all that I think we still need a dose of hope to help us get through this.”

Credit for the video goes to Mark Bérubé who provided the music and Abbey Doucet who put the video together, he said.

Koyczan wowed the world with his spoken word poem We Are More which he performed at the opening ceremonies at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Koyczan has seen great success in his career on the world stage including the influential anti-bullying To This Day video that went viral with over 14 million views in 2013.

READ MORE: Penticton poet pens poem for Humboldt

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