Asking for Heaven

If it is true

(and it is)

that we can have

all the good we can imagine,

The trick is to imagine it big enough:

To get a glimpse, and cherish

what it feels like

to have a good that covers every need —

That doesn’t end abruptly when the time is up

or care is spent

or we are pulled away to fill our roles

as slaves of guilt

or slaves of debt

And so I treasure each of these

Each hope, each joy

Each hunger, every yearning

For they help me frame the asking

for the promised thing —

That which, when requested,

must be given —

So I won’t settle for a grim security

because I didn’t know

to ask for heaven.

©Wendy Mulhern

July 21, 2012