Then and now

I tell myself, in those days

I didn’t understand much about love,

though I did love

(as now I see we all do)

haplessly, perhaps,

helplessly at times,

with an intensity that could have been a key

I didn’t understand love’s power,

didn’t know to use it

so the ones I loved would feel encouraged,

safe, encircled, ready to go forth

to meet their own exigencies with love

I ask myself, well,

how much more of love

do you know now?

And are you able

to shine the light in such a way

that it illuminates instead of blinding?

And if I am, and when I am,

then all those other times of love

will also be redeemed. 

That is the way of love,

and love will teach me how.

©Wendy Mulhern

October 25, 2019

At the Beach

Sweet and masterful mom

speaks gently, no hidden venom

beneath her directives

Her children respond 

without trauma,

gentle interest

leading their pursuits

In this world where so many

voice their alarm about the days,

this simple presence holds

hope for the future,

we can all learn to embody

these kind ways.

©Wendy Mulhern

May 25, 2017