Our hearts are too warm
for us to wield the spears of ice,
and all our old wounds
will heal after the ice melts

And it won’t matter
if we were wounded
by ourselves or someone else

After the ice
will be the cold water,
the daring plunge —
the lake of self-acceptance —

The water’s fine
once you get used to it
and as it warms up
from your now-rekindled fire.

©Wendy Mulhern
February 5, 2014