This might seem like the wrong week for a poem about joy. I’ve felt stunned and sad and scared—all at once—about the results of the election. I had felt so hopeful that Kamala would win, but it wasn’t even really close. Apparently life goes on. Perhaps that’s the greatest resistance there is: We don’t let it stop us from living our lives.
I was reminded this week of something a friend told me once—no matter what happens, you still have to take out the trash. So perhaps it’s the perfect week for a poem about joy. And art is a form of resistance.
Jacob Collier—singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist—exudes joy. I first saw him perform solo in June 2023 at S. F. Jazz—this poem comes from that experience. I saw him again in San Francisco this past May, with his full band. When you go to one of his shows you are part of the choir as he directs the audience in singing harmonies. I’m not a singer. I have no musical talent. But at his shows, I am. I sing and I harmonize and everyone else does too. Here is a link to his 2023 performance at Glastonbury. You’ll start singing too.
“Joy” was published in Red Wolf’s Wondrous Leaflets, Number 2. There are some wonderful poems and poets in the issue, so check it out.
Yesterday I participated in the
monthly poetry circle. We met on Zoom and read poems about kindness and wrote about small kindnesses and read what we wrote—that’s totally optional. I highly recommend ’s . I can’t tell you how much I needed to be surrounded by poets and poetry yesterday.
LeeAnn, I thank you for this post and poem. In my view it is never 'no time' to read or write about joy. and life absolutely goes on until we are literally dead. Whether we frame this as resistance, the ability to hold the tension of opposites, an impetus to create art forms, we just keep going. Sometimes all we have are mismatched socks...no matter.
What a beautiful piece x