Have you ever felt the kiss of a good book?

It's delectable--

the wispy yellowed pages caress your fingertips

the faded font raised slightly

the spine of the book thick in the palm of your hand

the weight of a written fantasy is a fine load to lift

Have you ever lived not in complexity

but in simplicity?

Complexities are abundant and most sought after:

love

beauty

fame

fortune

Simplicties are what is most treasured.

Like the curvature of a porcelain coffee mug against your lips

Like the feel of a knit scarf encircling your neck with a gentle choke

Like the perfect photograph of the perfect landscape

So beautiful, it almost makes you believe in the definition of "perfect"

Like the smile you exchange with a stranger

In a foreign place, with a foreign language

Happiness

Is defined not in the complexities that are rarely achieved

But in the day-to-day occurrences that temporarily enlighten us

Not in how much money is in our bank accounts

Or how many followers we have on a social network

Or how many likes we get on a picture

But the smile you share with a stranger in a foreign coffee shop

Over a beautiful photograph

With a knit scarf wrapped around your neck

And the curvature of the coffee cop pressing familiarly against your lips

And the book kissing your hands with its weight of a written fantasy.