I woke up grateful
because good is the only power
and in my struggle
against all that is evil,
I don’t need to take
a mean-spirited stance,
don’t need to commune
with comeuppance
or deal in retaliation,
don’t need disgust
or even indignation

I woke up grateful
that the best I can do
is to fill my soul with
the presence of goodness.
When fighting hate with love,
love is what counts

Love effortlessly deconstructs
the structures of oppression,
love casts no one as villain
but liberates us all
from the mazes of pain

I woke up grateful
that the work of my day
is so joyful, so boundless —
to let Love lead me,
to eagerly follow.

©Wendy Mulhern
December 10, 2016