The moon throws shadows
on the house walls
as we sit in chairs in the front yard,
and talk of people in our past
and wonder
about old and present currents
of connection

There were other things during our walk —
teenage angst and what occasioned it,
how a cycle of oppression can be broken
and how the past itself can be reworked

More than the thoughts expressed,
the paths through which they traveled,
the rooms they’ve opened up
in each other’s minds
have left me feeling warm towards you
within the promise
of dwelling there in coziness together.

©Wendy Mulhern
October 2, 2017

And how do we do reset?
When the threads of our efforts
are tangled beyond redemption,
when there’s no path in
for anything we might say?

Shall we do reset like fall, like winter,
everything thrown into rain and wind,
coherence abandoned,
distracted into the silence
of going down and down, in and in?

Or shall we do reset
like chocolate? —
signature sweetness clearing our palates,
spreading to fill the unnamed hole within

Shall we look and notice
our smiles still find each other,
our hopes still run eagerly
to meet in the well-known fields
of our conversation

Shall we do reset without effort —
simply returning
with new attention
to what is always here.

©Wendy Mulhern
October 30, 2016