These gifts are as prolific
as the plums on our little tree,
which last year bore
five delicious fruits,
and this year has so many
(though still green)
that I am in awe of the generosity
of one so small
These gifts — conversations that yielded
bright streams of satisfaction
at their spontaneity,
and the ease of connection
and the fact that I didn’t even try —
they came on their own, sweet signs
of Life’s generosity.
©Wendy Mulhern
June 10, 2016
Though you may carry your shame
in your posture,
though you may exude
the helpless unhappiness
that shows you feel
your body has not been your friend,
though you feel bullied
by its insistence on exposing
your ungainly softness,
making you a target for rejection
Though you have also hidden
behind your flesh,
made it a fortress
behind which you hope
to be invisible,
You can’t hide your glorious light
You are a marvel —
your sensitivity, your fine desires,
your tender hopes, your latent
tendrils of affection
are intricate and precious,
and if the world isn’t worthy
of your gifts,
it still needs them
and will be profoundly liberated
as you set yourself free.
©Wendy Mulhern
July 4, 2015
In the clutter of the stories
I’m prone to tell myself,
there is danger of getting lost
This time I check myself
against the gravity
of how this offering
will feel to you
I check its underside
for hints of instruction
(which might imply
I thought you needed change)
I check to see if its assertions
are made from wish fulfillment
on my part
Nothing but my pure love
is worthy of you.
Nothing but my pure love
is worthy of me.
©Wendy Mulhern
July 2, 2015
I’ve learned my lesson:
I will accept every gift,
whether it’s clothed in joy or sadness,
whether it’s bright or dark
I won’t hold out
for what I think I need,
I won’t require a certain protocol.
I will receive each gift
by diving in to where I find the blessing,
and how I, too, will bless in the receiving
I will let myself be changed
in every way that’s needed
to settle every gift into my heart.
After all, these are not things
that take up space, that need garages
These are soul offerings —
there’s room for all of them,
and they imbue my days with purpose
and with color, form, and depth.
©Wendy Mulhern
June 27, 2015