POLITICAL Poem: JOY, by Letha Francis

Joy is a powerful thing
It can heal
Transport light
Make the darkness sing!
Bringing Joy to the table
From the core
A seemingly mountainous thing
But so possible
Necessary for my survival and indeed
For yours
Allowing Light
It’s dignity
Screentime
More–
Driving out
Those destructive forces
Acidic-illusionous-war
It is
Thank you
Illuminated on
The backside of a rocketship
Sent straight up to the heavens
And clouds behind
My eyes
Pardon me
If it comes down
In tears
Or thunderous laughter
Transmuting pain
And other wasters of time, energy and skin

I sit at your alter
To repent for the
Days, years, months
Minutes spent
When I believed
In the illusion
That we were far apart
Joy-music-love-art
Space-planets-moon-stars
All the scenery within me
Mountain view to the plains
Basic, true and vital
In every way

How could I toss it like nothing?
Replace it
With objects
That clutter and burn
Headed for consignment
Or the landfills turn
NO!
Joy–
I apologize
For every time I looked away
When you faced me
Clear as day
In the eyes of a child
Or an elder just calling out to say…

Joy, I have cleared a space
For you
Right here with me
I moved out
Fruitless lovers and
Caring about anything
I ever learned
From fearful spirits
Looking for a place to be
Cause from now and forever on
That place is not me!

Joy, I welcome you
With open arms
Make yourself home
My fridge and all
Free reign for you to rome
As fear
My former lover
Takes its ass home
Back to the illusion it was born

Forever thankful for my Joy
Who never left
And always was
Just waited patiently
for me to embrace
Our never ending love

This is–
You are–
I am–
Joy.