Learning to be real
is hard work sometimes,
as I remind myself
from my cozy living room
where I didn’t lift a finger
to make the lights come on,
to make it warm

You wouldn’t know
I’m struggling for my life,
struggling to connect
my causes and effects,
to find a way to know
that what I do has value,
to find a way to deal fairly
with all the beings
with whom I interact,
with everyone on whom my life depends.

©Wendy Mulhern
March 12, 2016