For happiness comes unbidden.
Joy of singing sunlight and starlight.
For birds sing to singing light of sun and stars.
For dogs’ tails wag and cats purr contentment into our chests.
For our seas swim heavenly with creatures we may never know,
But we delight in their existence however dangerous and strange.
For we too are dangerous and strange creatures at times,
With need to exhilarate in our own thrilling shadows,
Fortunate when we do not succumb to them.
For we glow from within to face every peril and dark fire,
Even and especially those we know belong to our souls.
For happiness comes when we accept every part of ourselves,
Allows us to meditate and exultate in our existence.
For Earth spins on a tilted axis, and every comfort is ours
In this vast knowing and unknowing, space silent, infinite
As our treasured lives in which tears often mirror oceans.
Let us find happiness even in our sorrows, for we have been given
This gift of feeling and love and soft embrace of our very selves.
link to video
Karen Poppy (she/her; non-binary) has work published in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies. Her debut poetry collection, Diving At The Lip Of The Water, is published by Beltway Editions (2023). An attorney licensed in California and Texas, Karen Poppy lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
