Happiness lands on the roof

This ~ happines prompt ~ is from a writing retreat I attended. I love prompts because I wind up writing something that startles me.

This was the prompt: happiness lands…

~Happiness Lands…~
Poem and art by Mo Conlan

Happiness lands on the next house, singing.
I climb out my window and shimmy
onto the roof, take a flying leap
toward Her – just sitting like
Buddha on next door’s roof –
sail and land with a jolt.
I greedily reach out.
Happiness steps back, smiles,
extends a graceful hand.
Gently, I take it. We dance
around the chimney pots.
I swoon with joy.
I am so weak-kneed that when
Happiness disappears – poof!
I do not think I have strength
to make the leap back to my own house.

Maybe I could fly down from the roof —
once, I’d known how to fly.
I stretch out my arms.
Below, looking up from the yard
squints my older brother.
“Hey, Dopey, hold on,
I’m getting a ladder.”
I sit with my toes dancing
over the eaves
until he appears, with ladder,
and guides me down.

“I’ve been dancing on the roof,
with Happiness,” I say.
“You are so weird,” he says.
But he smiles as he says this.

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