Waking up is hard to do

Waking up is hard to do

Not only in the so-called morning

in the shuffle of avoiding

the pre-dawn alarm

Breaking an illusion takes

intensity of focus

and a steady concentration

and a willingness to shift

and notice:

What I thought was solid ground

is not

And where I thought I stood

I really wasn’t

And all that I was sure was real

All that I’d strung my hopes across

has never been what held me up at all

What I am, and what I’m standing on

is something else.  It has a different gravity

It follows different laws.

The brightness of awakeness overcomes the force

of every predetermined lockstep course

and every limitation we surmise

that drains the light and laughter from our eyes

Standing up for light

may be a struggle

Waking up is hard to do

but worth the trouble.

©Wendy Mulhern

March 14, 2012