Jennifer says we think the same thoughts
all our lives. She says we never really change.

That may be, but still I see
a different view these days,
something like the undersides of leaves,
how light shines through them differently,
lending a softness to their edges, their presence

I think I see things softer now,
with less of an opinion
and more of a willingness
to let the light spill through
however it does, without needing
to be catalogued or edited

I think there’s more shadow
on the underside of my thoughts,
places where grief may gather
and keep itself company,
places for things to be undefined,
against which a days brightnesses
can stand out in relief.

©Wendy Mulhern
July 4, 2016