-- No Happiness Without Worry –

John Herlihy

My happiness gains no firm traction,

Without a little worry on standby.

Stopping far short of true satisfaction,

With a few niggling fears on the sly.

Happiness serves as a dangerous precedent,

Arriving as if never to go away.

Settling in the mind as permanent residence,

Every intention to be there for a long stay.

The happiness feels rich if I have worries endured,

Awkward indeed if happiness were eternal bliss.

If all my worries into a cup of happiness poured,

Then my trials and tribulations I would never miss.

Yet our worries serve as an unintended goal,

That happiness has its own stated mission.

Reminding us of worries our own happiness stole,

There at least temporarily before remission.

Such forces that work beyond our control,

Circumstances arise that steer our destiny.

As waves cresting and troughing two-fold,

As persistent ebb and flow in life’s mystery.

Worries remind us of what we must bear,

Troubles to sort out, problems to solve.

When resolution comes, happiness we share,

Any suffering our happiness will absolve.

If our happiness gains no true traction,

Then our worries and fears suffer the same.

One brings discontent, the other satisfaction,

Endurance as pivot our balance to claim.

For insights of our worries, we give thanks sure,

Teaching us lessons we may otherwise miss.

In the wake of our problems, happiness feels pure,

As birds flying high over – not into – the abyss.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Monday 17 October 2022