We are not made of smoke,
and so the sweeping winds,
fast shifting and insistent,
don’t disperse us

And those who wield the fans that push opinions
can’t corral us into predesigned reactions,
however much they blow on us,
however much it seems as if they can

We’re made of truth.
So whatever winds blow through,
they can’t disturb us –
can’t rearrange our shape,
can’t realign us

And this is true of everyone,
and so we stand,
when all the smoke has cleared,
exactly where we are.

©Wendy Mulhern
May 2, 2022