The lessons of the land
seep in wordlessly
with no taint of instruction,
no directive to change

They seep into my hands, my gait,
my consciousness, they become
the way it has always been,
the way I’ve always seen

When I try to think of what has changed,
how I used to think, in contrast
to how I now perceive,
the whole thing goes out of focus

But I can find it again,
just like I found the cat
who rolled in the dirt and then
almost disappeared in the grass

I can find it again
by setting myself to receive,
to take in and hold in reverence
each life in its singular sphere.

©Wendy Mulhern
September 1,  2021