Allowed

There is a place for tears,

there is a place

for turning around three times

and lying down,

there is a place for curling up

and waiting for the inner heave to stop

The comfort rises up around me

like soft flames from the coals,

cradles me, reminds me

this warmth is always at hand

Maybe we’re allowed

to have a soft day sometimes,

to go back to bed, for a while,

in the afternoon,

to do about as much work

as the sun did today,

showing up for about an hour

between fog and day’s end.

©Wendy Mulhern

November 6, 2019