We had felt ourselves fatherless
for so long. Bereft of the security
of a wise hand, a holder of place
for us, a steady arm
guiding our wobbly efforts

We had been fatherless, and
so had our fathers, betrayed
when they reached out
for crucial aid

We carried ourselves thus,
tentative, cringing from expected blows,
trying to take up less space,
to go unnoticed
and so avoid expulsion

So astonishing to learn
Our Father has been with us all along
providing bright support around our heads,
plenty of ground to stand on,
plenty of headroom,
extending past to future
all along the presence of our days

As we walk, now royal,
in the exclamation
of our stature as beloved
sons and daughters of our Father,
welcomed home.

©Wendy Mulhern
December 29, 2016