Each of you,
alone with your soul,
is doing a mighty work

There is no referent of comparison,
no one’s soul against which
you can hold your own
to take a measure

You are alone with your soul.
And what blooms in you –
particular concoction
of what you came from
and what you brought to it –
will always be as much a wonder
to yourself as to the others
who see it shine forth

You are companioned,
but that companionship is deeper
than the sum or product
of everyone you know

You are loved
before you even step out,
loved as you are,
alone with your soul.

©Wendy Mulhern
July 25, 2020