Rain on the windshield,
people in the parking lot
walking with their choice of
hurried, cringing, or nonchalant

I imagine rain
soaking into their sweatshirts,
I’m hoarding warmth
as my parked car cools down

People find ways to survive
or they don’t. They find resilience,
they choose laughter, or they let rain
soak into their bones
and let their spirits be dampened

Me, I’ve done both.
It’s a choice I make
in all those times
where I’m not immediately overwhelmed
by some external magnificence,
when it’s up to me
to bring my shine into the day.

©Wendy Mulhern
March 17, 2017