EQUAL TIME FOR HAPPINESS
Sometimes I am a gloomy guss, my eyes have seen the glory,
Of many a tear-stained afternoon, and many a downcast story.
And I long to see the other side, the apex of the rainbow,
The mint where coins of joy are spent, the flip side of my sorrow.
Whatever happened to the wondrous days of the two-sided radio hit?
The record companies thought it was just one song,
The listeners thought the better of it.
The radio played both sides of the wondrous forty-five,
Don McLean had Vincent with his Castles in the Air,
For Carole King it was too late, and she felt the whole earth move and shake,
Equal time for both sides, life was just a tad more fair.
There was violence in the ‘60s, but we wore flowers in our hair.
All I am saying is give a smile a chance,
To blossom in the evening sun with its kissing cousin romance.
Equal time for happiness, equal time for joy,
The poor unhappy drudge of a scholar,
But also the wide-eyed jubilant boy.
The wild crescendo of a laugh that spirals through the afternoon,
The heartbreak of a life so stranded and marooned.
For though we ache with the pain of age and the certainty of death,
There is too the hope of rescue, and another day of precious breath.
Just like Gilligan and the Skipper, the professor and Mary Ann,
Our hopes rise and fall as only hopes can.
And even if we never see the cusp or the comfort of dry land,
Equal time to savor the favor of our fellow man.
Equal time for mercy, for the benefit of the doubt,
Equal time for a respite, before all hope runs out.
Sometimes I am a tireless drudge, in a Shirley Jackson tome,
And yet I have a fairy tale lover and a castle for my home,
And sometimes I turn a blind eye to my fortune and my friends,
And a deaf ear to the happy music that God the DJ spins.
Sometimes I forget the joy, this welcome sixth sense,
I’ve done my share of kissing frogs, but I also found my prince.
And when I die, it will be my time, but for now until I go,
I’ll sit back and close my eyes and revel in the show.
For after all, we can choose our mood most days more or less,
Equal time for the muse of the blues, but equal time for happiness.
-Bruce Potts
Copyright 2012
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Ah Bruce, you capture so well the dichotomy in us all. And yes, I agree, that "we can choose our mood most days more or less" though it can seem a difficult task.
ReplyDeleteA fellow blogger and PD suffered quoted Viktor Frankl in a recent post on the subject of happiness: "Happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself." (Man's Search for Meaning)
Thanks so much, Claire. It is difficult and sometimes impossible. I agree very much with the Victor Frankl quote! I thought I'd try posting a "happy" poem for a change, so my readers wouldn't get too depressed. It would be a bummer if folks automatically sat down with a box of Kleenex to read this blog every week! But I think I am incapable of a poem that does not at least acknowledge that there is sadness and fragility to life at times.
DeleteI like this
ReplyDeleteLinda, I really value your friendship and comments. You are one loyal reader. Thank you so much for all you offer me!
DeleteHappiness like all emotions is fleeting and it's only when we try to hold onto it that we hurt ourselves.... nothing stays the same forever.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful holiday and thank you for making the time to visit my blog.
best wishes
Robyn
PS... Bruce would you consider turning off your word verification as it does make it difficult to comment.
ReplyDeleteCertainly, Robyn, if you tell me how! Never been asked that, just know that I have to do that and didn't know you could make it not an option! Thanks for reading!
ReplyDeleteRobyn, have turned off (I think) word verification, though I in actuality don't remember turning it on in the first place. I want to encourage, not discourage, comments and I myself am finding the word verification thing hard to negotiate! Let me know if you have problems in the future, and I'll go back to the drawing board!
ReplyDelete