We find you innocent,
and the prognostication
of a long horrid journey
falls away

And the notion of yourself
just discovered to be
a fearsome monster
with many a rage
for which to pay
turns out to be a dream

We shake ourselves free
from troubling illusions  –
we seek refuge
in what guarantees your being,
we get used to the prospect
of not being afraid,
not now,
and not ever again.

©Wendy Mulhern
June 4, 2022