Happiness

Like a butterfly, it flies above our noses, Tickling our insides, nearly teasing us for a minute or two. We think we’ve caught the butterfly, feeling the beauty it entails, As the smooth wings mend our shattered heart. But just as we turn our heads from the sun, The darkness of our fears sneak behind us, Breathing on our necks, and raising the hairs like skyscrapers. The butterfly limps away into the sky, Leaving us once again. Naturally, our smiles disappear beneath our hearts, As our laugh bangs on our lips, begging to be heard. But if we just stopped and stared, Inhaled the beauty of life, Reeking from beneath the ground, Bellowing from a nest in the tree, And screaming from the tip of a mountain, The butterfly would come and sit silently on our laps, And wonder why it ever left.