Joy in Heaven

We’ve been dwelling in that bright edge

called Joy in Heaven, called

glory of needs met, the clasp

of reunion, the satisfaction

of soul-hunger fully fed

We didn’t know

that what seemed to us as

long nights with no stars,

deep tunnels with no exit,

hopes dashed again and again

was really just a backdrop

for the enduring truth

of our awakening

We didn’t realize that the bitterness

of what we thought was our perpetual betrayal,

when sweetened by the taste 

of our belovedness,

would turn out to be

something else entirely,

something deeply craved

by all the host,

something greatly celebrated

as we come home.

©Wendy Mulhern

August 24, 2016