There is no shame
in the serene drunkenness
you get when you stand
under a linden tree in summer,
wearing the smell of honey
and the rumble of contented bees
around you like a bonnet.
There is no shame
in careening downhill on a bike
with your legs out wide
as the wind lifts the heat
right out of the air
and you are going so fast
no one can even hear you singing.
There is no shame
in loving the movie you saw
without restraint,
in reading whatever
you want to read,
in admitting
wholeheartedly
to hope.
Who told you
it was ignorant
to be happy?
How dare they forbid
something so close
to peace?
Happiness does not ignore suffering;
it is what makes the suffering
bearable enough
so there is energy
leftover
for change.