No need to engage
with the shrill and brittle
sticklike visage you present,
no need to be taken in
by the rasping preconditions
you establish for connection,
no need to feel grated.
Though these words won’t reach you,
I can tell
this isn’t you —
the image you propose
is not the one you want,
you aren’t enamored
with the harsh and petty rules
that you espouse.
There’s no need for you to be impoverished.
Reflexive words, repeated fast and often,
don’t need to be a substitute for faith.
Nor do you need convincing —
no use in any thoughts I might be baited to express.
You just need time —
quiet time, still time,
calm embracing space
and lots of tenderness.
©Wendy Mulhern
November 12, 2013