Behind the drama and the worrying,
Beneath the calculations and the scheming,
Beyond the many layered paths,
the inter-tangling loops of things
that people try to be and do,

In that same place but separate
from all projected causal chains
Is found the honest heart of every you.

Honest, it beats through nights of sleeping,
Keeps vigil through the waking day,
Honest in its hope for worth and justice,
Honest in its deep desire to bless

In this we are the same — let us remember
Each one of these has infinite weight,
and their being matters
and their dignity matters

And you can’t take shortcuts with them —
They deserve their place in time
and their time in this place.

©Wendy Mulhern
June 21, 2017