And if you need to stand up
in a crowded room
and speak for yourself,
if you need to be witnessed,
if you have done so, many many times
in the theater of your mind

Then the least I can offer
is a sympathetic ear,
an acceptance free of judgment,
a starting point that everyone deserves,
a place your innocence can surface,
can find its focus,
can come fully clear.

©Wendy Mulhern
February 13, 2021