I can tell you are a happy man
by the look of your calves,
well-rounded and wholesome as almonds
as you tend to eggplants in your garden.
You effuse about your laundromat,
the infant’ clothes brighter and softer
with each passing wash, tiny cocoons
rustling in the autumn breeze on your roof.
Show off your latest painting
high up on the gold-hued wall,
its strokes of red, green and black
falling like rain on still lifes of clocks and fruit.
We leave the earth glow of your room
for the stables where animals meet
to clash horns and hooves,
and you pat your belly as you digress
that yes, even a little smoke and fury
may erupt from a joyful man,
but better to release the fire outside
where the elements can cradle it
in their timeless haunches,
and as I look out past the door
of the corral into the oaks beyond,
I see you may not be prestigious
but are generous enough
to invite me into your home
and share the gifts that keep you
laughing in a world of sorrow.
updated by @stellarkatstar: 11/30/16 05:06:22AM