Claws

I stepped outside of privilege to recognize

death drags its claws through every family

with no regard for neatly supping

at one edge

Indeed, there never is a smooth progression —

life sends us scrambling up and down the crags,

wandering the canyons,

sometimes scaling mountains,

sometimes finding dark reclusive caves

And look, we are not shredded —

the cohesion of our lives

just pulls us closer,

re-knits our fabric,

fills the former holes with light

Though we be touched by death,

we are not conquered,

and so we learn a little more of life.

©Wendy Mulhern

February 18, 2019