Joy

Joy is a thing
That comes
In the morning
Or noon
In the bedroom
Or locker room

Joy makes me leap
When my feet are sore
Or when my cheeks
Cannot rise
To the occasion

Joy is another heartbeat
Another wind breeze
Another shutting off
Of the car’s engine
Another reprieve

Joy is ephemeral, complicit
Joy is effacing, exquisite

Joy is one small item
In the corner store
Joy is my friend’s knock
At the door

Joy is the justification
For every smile splitting my head
Joy is the juxtaposition
Of every nightmare & dream
Fighting to the finish
In my 2 a.m. bed

Joy comes when I least expect it
Joy arrives when I’m exhausted
Joy calls when life is exiting grim
When the pounds are removed
On the scale of the gym

Joy is my companion
Joy is my sin
Joy is my compatriot
In a world of toxic gin

Joy flies in the face
Of the nightly news
Joy is a drug
When you’re not
In the mood

Joy cannot be explained
Nor
Dissected, categorised
When you’re dejected,
Anesthetised
It cannot be analysed,
Synthesised
When your moods are
Shifting, modulating,
Moving, stimulating

The tides change
At the lonely beach
I am alone
Feet soaking
In the shallow pools

Life is beyond prediction
Time is beyond abduction
Sighs are beyond allusion
Smiles are beyond transduction?

The leaves have turned
Though it’s July
The teens have learned
Even in the summer time

Why am I writing?
Why am I poetising?
Why am I squeezing precious juices
From my
Grey matter spaces?

The answer lies in a question
The search for the sources
The origins of elation
The quest for explanations
The longing for responses
The demand for clarification
The end of anticipation

Births and deaths
Weddings and separations
Graduations and bankruptcies
Grand openings and
demolition’s ease

I cannot account for 99%
Of what happens
Under the sun
Or cloudy skies

But this one thing I do know
Despite my challenged mind:
In the control tower
There’s only one person
You can find:

That’s yours truly
Your shadow buddy
The wearer of your
Apparel
The dweller of your
Body

Winds come, winds go
Traffic’s stuck, traffic flows
The world’s an oyster
A crystal ball, a sieve
The batter’s up
It’s you, waiting to relive

The next moment
The next chance
Oh, joy’s hopin’
To be asked to dance

Give it a whirl
Give it a spin
The gates are open
Join the joyous
Love-in