Seeing each other

We come here in our chosen roles

Whatever we’ve decided to present —

The selves that we’ve assembled to display,

The stories propping up our self-esteem,

Our plans of how we’ll move and what we’ll say

We come here hoping

what we’ve made ourselves to be

will be enough

And that some transformation

will reach us through our tedium of stuff

We seek a blessing

while doubting it is something we deserve

We keep on guessing

what course will make us feel alive, secure

But Ah —

Despite ourselves

(and everything we hoped to hide,

so clearly seen by everyone who’s hiding)

Our precious souls shine through

And these

These souls, so holy

So wholly free from all regimes

that we or others have devised —

Since they are here

There’s nothing else remaining.

Like dust, like ash, like smoke

those old self-constructs blow away

And so we see each other as we are.

©Wendy Mulhern

November 12, 2012