Smoothing

I’m onto you, Mind.
I know what you’re up to.
How, as I go through
a challenging experience,
you kick in,
deal with,
adapt.
But also
pull back,
detach,
protect.

Then, afterward,
you begin your edits,
smoothing the rough edges,
softening the hard parts,
so that the story
I tell myself later
becomes gentler,
almost nostalgic,
missing the downside.

Thank you.

By Maria Brady-Smith
Photo by Mike Smith