We’ve been dwelling in that bright edge
called Joy in Heaven, called
glory of needs met, the clasp
of reunion, the satisfaction
of soul-hunger fully fed

We didn’t know
that what seemed to us as
long nights with no stars,
deep tunnels with no exit,
hopes dashed again and again
was really just a backdrop
for the enduring truth
of our awakening

We didn’t realize that the bitterness
of what we thought was our perpetual betrayal,
when sweetened by the taste
of our belovedness,
would turn out to be
something else entirely,
something deeply craved
by all the host,
something greatly celebrated
as we come home.

©Wendy Mulhern
August 24, 2016