And if your refuge fails you
or if it says you’ve failed
and thus cannot avail yourself of safety

Or if your refuge
is put in question
by someone else’s sense of truth

Or if the solace it provides
has grayed, has faded,
has been rendered hollow

Don’t be afraid.
For even as your demons rage
and push you towards the center,
as the edges crumble
and your space grows smaller

You are already redeemed.
You were delivered
even before the dawning of your first day.
Your substance is secure,
your realm is infinite —
you need no refuge,
for you own your grace.

©Wendy Mulhern
March 15, 2019