Fear of Happiness


Fear of Happiness

You are a puppet to your greatness.
You are the amplifier of its voice.
When you peak, you are amazed
and query your accomplishments.
Since your imagination has no limits,
a mirror exposes the bulges of your greatness.

With humility, you smile, relax,
and a fall asleep to sweet dreams.
You command a well timed silent dominion.

With the authority of laser like radiance,
envisage persistent obligation.
If your vision lies dormant,
Rub influence as you zip by;
Inspire with the scent of your perspiration;
Cajole with poise and assure with consolation.

Walk not with the gravity
of one who lost a child.
Even those outside the household bubble
are with blustery flares of disposition
in place of beaming manifestation of pleasantness.
If those shocking moment laps,
don’t accede to benign complacency.

Don’t accede to unhappiness.
Happiness leads not to empty hedonism.
Without it, authority disappears like sounds in a blown speaker;
Influence vanishes like weather in the eye of a hurricane;
Elucidation meanders about like a hungry, lost coyote;
And inspiration is not more than a fading spot light.

Make happiness tantamount.
Penalties are not mandated
on your subordinates
for you, your self
are endowed with merry gifts.

Make corrections.
Prevalent mistakes minimize your greatness.

Though in some domains you have lost control,
life, as a whole, averages it out.

Express your voice
In tones of utter determination.
Use your limitless courage to put right
what you now bemoan.

************************

Here’s another “One Stop Poetry Challenges.” This this is the One Shoot Sunday – Independence Day, 2011.” In other words, Fourth of July Eve.

Also posted on:


Midweek Motif – Happiness

 

I wrote this back in 2001 for now Brig General William Thornton.

About zongrik

For those of you who do not know the handle "zongrik," that would be Bat-Ami Gordin. Most people call me "Tammy." Bat-Ami means "daughter of my nation" in Hebrew. It's a heavy name to carry around. I answer to either name. I also answer to "mama." Some Basic Things about me: Animal lover, mom, poet/writer, dramatic soprano, photographer, teacher/tutor, CERT/Technician and, oh yeah, aerospace engineer. I consider myself "The Astro-Poet." To learn more about the origins of the word "zongrik" see whats-a-zongrik?

Posted on July 3, 2011, in One Stop Poetry, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 30 Comments.

  1. I remember being in awe when I visited the Jefferson memorial. You wrote a powerful poem. Keep it up!

    -GD
    Visit my writing blog at https://shelleddreams.wordpress.com/

  2. Excellent! We share a reality of responsibility. Thanks for sharing your poem!

  3. A child on the beach
    Molding sand
    With colored plastic containers
    While surging waters, too close
    Lick at her oblivious heals
    Caught in castle dreams
    This little girl is happy
    Her mind is not developed enough
    To make it all wrong
    She thinks of nothing
    But what is in front of her
    And the Prince and the Princess
    And white stallions riding into the castle
    With colorful pennants and boisterous retinue
    Give them a home she moans
    As she slumps down a high sandy turret
    On a hill in the castle grounds.
    Suddenly she awakens from her reverie
    As a cold wave inundates her project
    Walls tumble, horses swept away
    The soggy screams of a Princess
    Can be heard atop intact walls
    Where the Prince musters his men
    While Mommy and Daddy shout,
    “Julie Ann, it’s time to go now”
    One last bulwark against the Fates
    As she spreads a wall of sand.
    The tides will be the final arbiter
    Later tonight when Julie Ann
    Slips into another happy dream

  4. moondustwriter

    You expressed you voice well – thanks for the strong statement

    • I wrote it to my squadron commander. He always seemed so unhappy, and he was a great leader. If he wasn’t happy, I felt it could deteriorate his leadership.

  5. Sunburned Divas

    A child on the beach
    Molding sand
    With colored plastic containers
    While surging waters, too close
    Lick at her oblivious heals
    Caught in castle dreams
    This little girl is happy
    Her mind is not developed enough
    To make it all wrong
    She thinks of nothing
    But what is in front of her
    And the Prince and the Princess
    And white stallions riding into the castle
    With colorful pennants and boisterous retinue
    Give them a home she moans
    As she slumps down a high sandy turret
    Right in the middle of the castle grounds.
    Suddenly she awakens from her reverie
    As a cold wave inundates her project
    Walls tumble, horses swept away
    The soggy screams of a Princess
    Can be heard atop intact walls
    Where the Prince musters his men
    While Mommy and Daddy shout,
    “Julie Ann, it’s time to go now”
    One last bulwark against the Fates
    As she spreads a wall of sand.
    The tides will be the final arbiter
    Later tonight when Julie Ann
    Slips into another happy dream

  6. Sorry about the duplication.

    • I’m not sure what you mean by duplication.

      But the more I read you poem, the more I see the picture of the girl in the sand in the beach.

      I used to love digging sand, close to the water, with the water going in the holes. One time, I was doing it so long, I got heat stroke.

  7. Always wonderful. 🙂

  8. A dichotemy of possibilities in this poem ~ lives lost ~ the simplicity of moving on (not) and so much more ~ many, many more questions than answers ~ perfect for cajoling the soul ~ nicely done!

  9. I read a lot about Jefferson before posting this piece. He was a complicated, shy, loyal, trusting and brilliant man. Truly Renaissance in scope he owned a library more vast that the Library of Congress and in fact when it was burned in 1812, Jefferson “sold” him his own. He read, wrote and spoke five languages and read three or four more. He hated slavery but did very little to abolish it after his initial battles to formulate the constitution in a way that would be fair to slaves and yet having promised his wife he would never marry if she died, he took her half sister as his mate and had six children by her whom he educated and freed upon his death. He was a mass of contradictions.

    He would have liked this poem I think and identified with it. Well done. Gay

  10. A powerful poem, inspired by your visit to the Jefferson monument…one of my favorite, most inspirational men of history. A complicated man prone to melancholy this ode to happinessand the man is apt. And the poem can apply to anyone “guilty” of casting happiness aside.Jefferson had plenty to feel guilty about..but he was a great man..flawed..but still a great personage. Your understanding of “happiness” and its role in life, and man’s responsibility for and to it is sensitive and well developed. A sentient, intelligent, and powerful piece!

  11. Great Leadership advice. Thank you for sharing it in poetry form. 🙂

  12. this is a great POEM, it touched my heart, than for sharing

  13. Absolutely breath-taking. In fact, more accurate to say the die-hard truth of every word above should knock the wind out of anyone who thinks they are beyond happiness for all the hardships they suffer. The power of the monument reference noted aside, being able to relate to the bit about the loss of a child, it still shocks me when I catch myself able to enjoy the little things and have a laugh once in a while. Time really does heal all wounds, as is said and people get sick of hearing that. But what they don’t tell you is that it is possible only if you let it. Your poem truly penetrated to the root of that issue, and as always, I commend you entirely for it my friend. Dont ever change. Keep it up. ~.^

  14. Beautiful piece! TY for sharing this with us.

  15. An interesting read with some good advice! I like the idea of being “endowed with merry gifts”. Also the hungry coyote. Great imagery.

  16. wow, Im glad I got the opportunity to read this again. I feel like I am kid on a sci-fi roller coaster that starts on an easy loop then the centrifugal force pulls tighter and tighter. The end of the ride I hand advice to a much older self. Ok can I ride it again???
    How have you been? It was so great to see your name on Poet’s United. What a treat to say “hi” to you!

  17. powerful, amazing!! the fear of happiness is i think the fear of losing what we think brings happiness!!

  18. I read this though it is not new. Interesting take on the responsibility of leaders to exude happiness no matter what.

  19. well now…you gave me a bit of a blast from the past with this one….smiles…
    not only with the hearken back to one stop…but also in reading you
    i feel like its been a while….i think there is some solid wisdom in that
    last bit as well..

  20. I like the philosophy you have expressed here. I think it is wise not to accede to unhappiness! Haven’t seen you in a while. Good to see you.

  21. A most inspiring poem. I particularly like the closing stanza.

  22. nice message here…& inspiring lines..

  23. Use your limitless courage to put right
    what you now bemoan.
    I like those ending line because we alone are responsible for whether we will be happy or not. Take charge, don’t let others or circumstances rule your mood. Lovely words!

  24. Powerful lines…you expressed your emotions well …

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