Words

Sometimes words are overrated,

sometimes what’s needed

is a closer contact,

the lock of what’s present

between you and me,

side stepping the demand

for coordination

or negotiation

And maybe it’s not time

to be searching for words

as evening settles in steady

and an affectionate cat

pushes and purrs against my lap

while the creek murmurs

and the smell of dinner

wafts from a neighbor’s house

These trees will move in silence

towards darkness,

These cats want to be fed.

Whatever words I may have now

will fall unspoken,

but what’s essential will still be said.

©Wendy Mulhern

May 28, 2016