If every life story
turns out not to matter,
if none of the shocks and the falls
or the haunting doubts
or the lonely lows
can make any mark on your being

If none of your items of pride
with their giddy highs,
their sidelong looks
(weighing your relative worth)
are anything you can protect,
anything that can remain

Still you will find
that the spark of your love
and all you’re compelled to defend,
your unplumbable worth
and the need for your presence
shine in Life’s eyes without end.

©Wendy Mulhern
April 17, 2019