I look at you
and you, and you
and think of you as loved.
I notice, suddenly, how cute
you are — those shoes
and how your feet slip into them
That chin, that slight tilt of your nose
And you, that face, that’s smiled
so many times, that has such memories
within its lines
Could be your smile right now is from the thought
of something twenty, forty years ago . . .
I do it as an exercise
I think of you as loved . . .
I find a smile has settled
on my face
And now, a visual litany
a thought parade of those I love
Recites itself unceasing
in my mind
A treasure, this
Well worth the weight of carrying
Indeed, it carries me
with all the energy I need
into my day.
©Wendy Mulhern
March 5, 2012