I want to be the happiest person on earth.

I want everyone else to be the happiest person on earth too.

Happiness is such an incredible gift.

It is gold wrapped in an old cardboard box,

tied shut with coarse twine,

& pushed under a bed where it gathers dust & is forgotten.

The days roll by,

the years pass,

happiness is lost

amidst all the turmoil & troubles of being alive,

until one day a little child

with eager exploring hands,

or perhaps an old lady with crooked delicate fingers,

crawls to the edge of the bed,

sees the decaying mysterious box,

reaches & pulls the box out,

releases the twine,

opens the lid,

& the gift shines in amazing luminosity.

Happiness is not hiding under the bed any longer,

it is not elusive anymore,

its shining brilliance

is waiting to be discovered,

deep, deep inside

the shadows of the day--

a dusty box opening to a fearless heart.