I have seen the kingdom
and it is within – it is the impulse
of my consciousness, the realm
of my desire, my hope, my love,
and that which governs them

I have seen the kingdom
and it is within – it’s what insists
on justice, what won’t settle
for lies, for privilege,
for ignorant oppression,
for childish blindness
to the things that need to change

I’ve seen the kingdom
in the hearts of others,
and I recognized the clarity,
the sudden opening –
vast canyons and the breathtaking
settledness, commanding calm,
the wave of certainty that washes doubt away –
kingdom within, in me, in us, as one.

©Wendy Mulhern
November 9, 2020