I start first with the traffic
in my mind
“to bless and not condemn ” –
Thoughts pass by quickly,
they arc and settle in the places
they have gone before  –
I have to pull them out
and see what object they have held
and if they blessed or they condemned.
If they need correcting
I have to do it

There is plenty of traffic.
(“to love and not judge “)
– the judgment being so dismissive,
requiring no more thought  –
as neatly tied and closed
as a politician’s speech,
so easy to write off.
While loving – that’s a far deeper engagement,
which, if I’ve done truly,
will stay with me

“To heal and not pass by” –
There is no neutral ground  –
despite my arsenal of reasons
not to offer aid.
There’s only one answer
that engages what I am
and what I’m here for –
There’s no real option
to turn away.

©Wendy Mulhern
February 12, 2021

Thanks to Ross Safronoff for quoted text