"We'll take joy wherever we can find it." ~Mike Bonifer
When life
Throws you in the ring
Ricochets you
Against the ropes
Body-slams you
Into despair
Out your right mind
Hurls you over
Your capacity's cliff
Battered frame
Thudding to the ground
Pause
Breathe
And reach for Joy
Take it
Wherever
You can find it
Be childlike about it
Wrap your pudgy little hand
Around its jumbo index finger
And let it lead you
To atmospheres where the grass
Is not greener but instead
A spectrum
Of your favorite hues
Where you'll skip off-beat
Trip and fall on repeat
Tumble thru the padded pastures
Snort-laughing loudly
At your clumsy
No injury or shame
Mouth agape
Tongue
Peppered with specks of dirt
After every sprawl
Pop up exuberantly each time
Like a grasshopper on Meth
Take off running
In your mismatched shoes
Cuz Joy never requires perfection
Or uniformity
Refuses to micromanage
How you choose to wield it
How you show up
To the party
Lets you release your grip
On its limb
To venture off for the day
Treasure-hunt yourself
In the peaks and valleys of Earth
Spot the ever-sought rainbow
Cartwheel your way
To the end of it
Discover the promised pot of gold
Peer inside
See your euphoric face
In the reflection of each piece
Toss your head back wildly
And fling your arms open wide
Michael Jackson style
Christmas-Day squeal
At the gift of your existence
The intensity of your value
The realization that
You were never separated
From Joy
Because it was
You
Leading the journey
It was
You
That you were holding onto
The whole time
Everywhere you go
There you are
JOY!
Standing up to life's fight
With the power of glee
Persistence of peace
Smirk of satisfaction
As you turn away from struggle
On some flex shit
Joy's protective halo on deck
And step
Outta the ring
In your mismatched shoes
Multi-toned grass plastered
To your soles
Skipping off-beat
To your bliss
©2026 Charlene E. Green
