Within myself
I note the quiet purr and hum
of feelings, how they create thoughts
to prop them up, stories to sustain
their longer lives

I notice I can choose what I will feel
by careful observation of the stories

It is enough, it seems, to notice.
Then the feelings look up, startled
and forget what they were on about.
I can take them by their manes
and lead them home to calmness.
We can laugh together, a little,
I can redirect them —
Not every dip deserves descending into,
not every story testifies to truth.

©Wendy Mulhern
March 7, 2017