Happiness

Happiness is not that which shimmers superficially
In shining careers
On the covers of paper-backs,
Posters or pill boxes. 

It finds itself not in approval from others, 
chemical concoctions or gifts tied with string. 

Happiness is a gift of presence,
A full yet quiet mind
A peaceful inner rhythm
That can dare to change

It is true love for another,
Meaning in work, 
Walking on dew-laden grass, 
Being at one with a tree, 
Opening the sky to a caged bird, 
A child’s sense of justice, 
An apple, just picked.

It is a lie exposed, a wrong righted, 
A culture nurtured, 
A community built.  
It is a mistake learned from, 
A horse un-blinkered, 
Unquestioned power checked and 
A people listened to. 

Happiness comes not from cents 
But from a sense of self and others. 
It finds itself not in sweetness upon the tongue 
But in the sweetness of a child’s heart, 
Not in a reward felt today 
But through giving one’s self to a greater cause, 
Pursued across a lifetime. 

Happiness is not first and foremost love from another 
But love for one’s self. 
Not solitude but moments shared with others, 
Not a lighthouse but the sea, 
Not the sky but the imagination.

​Happiness is a peaceful inner love that can change the world.