They came out into the big room
where the light
from the circle’s glow
served to diffuse the memory
of where they came from,
the narrow passage ways,
the dogged competition,
the rationed light awarded skimpily
to just a few

The things they strived for —
what were they anyway?
Their disappointments
softly erased,
their great achievements
oddly forgettable
and now forgotten
in this new place.

©Wendy Mulhern
August 14, 2017