Listen to the Stillness
by Michael Doyle

We have to catch as catch can.
That's every woman and every man.
It comes down to our contribution.
It says so in the Constitution.

We have the right to justly pursue
All the happiness that shines through.
But no one promised we'd get it,
If you think so, you'd best forget it.

Somehow happiness is the American dream,
From the small town to the silver screen.
Of all the things we might want to be,
The one we want most is to be happy.

Around the world, the struggle is to stay alive.
Yet every American needs a smile to survive.
In India, with headaches and monsoon rain,
The rickshaw driver smiles, finding Americans inane.

For all the history of blessed humanity,
We have studied the things that make for melancholy.
It's more of an art than a science of psychology. 
But we make the best of it quietly and nobly.

We grasp at elusive happiness like it's a ministry
And even go so far as to it positive psychology.
I wonder if in that name we see a concession.
Is it that other forms are filled with negativity?

Each of us has a set point that, however we arrange
The events of our life, we stay within a range.
We have learned that happiness isn't an eventuality.
It is, in fact, more of a thing of intentionality.

It turns out that variation is not only really nice,
But it is, in fact, the very spice of our lives.
As the birds fly their paths of happiness,
It seems the best we have is to listen to the stillness.

(c) November 11, 2026   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved