Most people who study the geology of joy,
are first attracted by the lushness of its forests,
the deep green resembling the first time you fell in love,
or the snow-capped mountains that you remember ascending,
pulling at the rope of your grandfather’s words.
The landscape is utterly awe-inspiring,
you wouldn’t want to live anywhere else,
yet as you begin to research joy’s layers
you will find the presence of sediments of anguish,
a whole section made of rocks formed from deep loss,
and certain disappointments that run quietly
like underground rivers where you learned to swim.
The fertility of this soil has been hard-earned,
and our joy the result of millions of years
of human longings and false starts.
