Happiness

Happiness rushes in like a cat
you’ve forgotten outside in the rain.
Maybe you suddenly remembered him
or you happened upon him on your way
out to run an errand. Regardless,
your sin is forgivable as he is small
and stubborn and self-reliant –
you can’t lose your life sitting silently
with him curled on your lap –
you would both quickly tire of that.
He shakes himself dry over the middle
of your rug, as though it were an innocent act,
and doesn’t look at you. You walk alone
across the room, sit by the fire,
and wait there for the longest time.







Read more poems from The Other Side of Ourselves.