Some recognition sparked between them:
beneath the costumes, beneath
the designated roles,
they could see that they were equals,
that they could hone themselves
against each other, that they
would each feel their own strength rising
in ways they’d never reached without each other

They could see a common destiny —
they rode it for a flash,
they rode it longer, trying to ford
the mounting confusion
gathering around them
because their costumes didn’t match
and the customs that prescribed their roles
had a different story
than their equality

Many imagined their alliance doomed
or just imagined — how, after all,
could they have any common ground?
The end of this story will depend
on what you think is strong
and what you think is true.

Years later,
they will both look back
and see how much they’ve grown.

©Wendy Mulhern
August 27, 2016