Happiness is...
That feeling you get
After all your doubts and second thoughts,
As the scarlet-winged blackbird
Splashes in the birdbath
You hesitantly placed
Beside the lush wild pond,
Too deep for the little birds
Hesitating at the edge
That feeling you get
When the lavender stands tall
And wildflowers burst open
In a quiet, sunny corner
Of the manicured yard
You gently claimed as your own—
Where native seeds once scattered in hope
Now call the pollinators home.
That feeling you get
When the fox, driven back three times,
Snatches an adult bird—
But the goslings you befriended
Live to waddle another day,
And your guilty heart
Breathes a quiet relief
For the young yellow-eyed fox,
More afraid than curious and ever so hungry.
That feeling you get
When all you can offer
Is a listening ear—
And you're there for a friend
Who has all you long for
But no one to tell it to
And for a moment,
You are enough.
Fleeting though it is,
Often worry wears me down,
But I understand why my life
Draws such envy
This happiness I’ve brewed
With pieces I called into being
From nothing
Is a magic all my own.
