Goodbye overflowing, easy joys,
Goodbye the high of bright connection,
Goodbye astonishment of comfort,
and the glow of freely shared affection

Hello craggy upward trail,
expanding vistas promised in the thinning air
Hello strong rush of solar plexus,
heart ascending into deeper care

Goodbye oblivion of needs,
Hello to standing up for what is fair,
Goodbye to pleasure on its own account,
Hello hard work and all its rich rewards

And if I persevere along this climb,
Perhaps at higher turns I’ll come around
to find those older joys have multiplied,
their blessings clear, their purpose
now more sound.

©Wendy Mulhern
April 2, 2014