Sunday, March 30, 2008

POETRY | Happiness Is Harder

To read a book of poetry
from back to front,
there is the cure for certain kinds of sadness.

A person has only to choose.
What doesn't matter; just that

This coffee. That dress.
"Here is the time I would like to arrive.
"Today, I will wash the windows."

Happiness is harder.

Consider the masters' description
of awakened existence, how seemingly simple:
Hungry, I eat; sleepy, I sleep.
Is this choosing completely, or not at all?

In either case, everything seems to conspire against it.

~ Jane Hirshfield

3 comments:

Iliana said...

I really like this.
Thank you for posting it!

darkorpheus said...

Iliana Thank you for allowing me to share Jane Hirshfield's poetry. I love her poems. So glad someone else likes it too.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful poem. You remind me I have one of her books unread at home that I will have to dip into :)