The Happy Book People

katsobservations

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Everyone likes a happy ending
A light at the end of the tunnel
A bow-topped present waiting to be opened
A swerve off the highway of doom
And a diversion from the inevitable

Everyone likes a predictable surprise
The last gift under the Christmas tree
The hidden dollar at the bottom of the purse
The nice summer rain to wash the pain away
A reason to smile at the rainbow in the sky
And to be held by the loving embrace of the wind

We are all searching for the new music
An event that evades the predictable marching of time
A glitch in the matrix of our numb brains
A quick burst of color that breaks the heavy fabric:
The fabric of years lived in obscurity and agony
Finally weighing on our heavy consciousness
Like an anchor when the buoyancy of youth is lost

When I was just a few years younger
Surprises found me at every corner
Strawberry smoothies at the diner
The dew on the grass in the chill of the morning
The star-speckled night sky
The smell of a brand new book
And the books were filled with happy people
And those people had been just like me

But they are not like me anymore
And happy endings just seem to laugh at my face
Their meaning dancing away into the horizon
Forever lost to my desolate mind

The happy book people are long gone

Photo by  Brandi Redd on Unsplash

24 thoughts on “The Happy Book People”

  1. “Forever lost to my desolate mind”
    I do hope that your mind is not desolate. Were I to write poetry at times my poems would no doubt share some of the negativity of this piece. On the other hand I have determined that my mind shall not be desolate and that I shall just let go. In the scheme of things little matters, especially not the past and the future.

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    1. I don’t completely think my mind is desolate; I’d actually want to think that I have some interesting ideas in there. I guess I’m using my poetic license or dramatic interpretation or something like that. I’ve tried writing positive poems. Actually, this was going to be one about happy endings, but it took a negative turn towards the end. I don’t know why, but that always happens when I write poetry.

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      2. Thank you! I think this kind of thinking happens to many people, I don’t think it’s exactly negativity. It’s just an inevitable part of living; we all get an existential crisis some time in our lives. But either way, I’m glad you could relate to my poem in some way.

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  3. I find this poem very relatable as we grow older and more entrenched in our habits and daily routines we can suddenly see ourselves removed from those things that gave us so much thrill and energy before. Our happy endings seem too far away at times. Such introspection is a type of melancholy that fuels our imagination and for some, the greatest artistic works. I hope we get to see more of your poetic talent.

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    1. Yes, that is so true. I find that when I was younger, I had a lot of reckless bravery and innocent wonder that fueled me to take on every single day as if it were a new a adventure. Maybe it is because my days have now become predictable and almost mechanical, or maybe I became used to this thing called living, but everything just becomes a bit…bland? Maybe I’m just having an existential crisis. I found that introspection of my thoughts really helps me understand myself, and it also fuels not just my writing but a lot of the art I make.

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      1. Reflection, introspection, and experience are the keys to a wise soul and you’re definitely a wise and ancient soul. We have to live a daily life to get by but as long as you feed your inner light whenever you can, the curiousity to grow and learn will never die only become more brilliant. Shine on!

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      3. I feel that as long as we reserve a little of ourselves to satisfy our curiosity, we’ll always progress in learning and appreciating the asthetics of life and the natural world. I call it finding my zen when I take time off from the daily grind to seek a little me time in a nice place. 😊

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    1. Thank you so much for the nomination! Unfortunately, I found that blogger awards really aren’t my thing, so I won’t accept the nomination, but again Thank you for considering me. Also, I would really like to check out your post, but it is marked as private.

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  5. “We are all searching for the new music.”

    To me, that one line so well captures an idea that — if you told me you had created the whole rest of the poem just to set that one line off, like a precious stone is set off by a less precious mounting — I’d think it was worth it. A blue diamond of a line!

    Second, I love how you understated your feelings when instead of trying too hard to dramatize them, you chose to state them by contrast. Specifically, in contrast to the happy book people. I don’t know enough about poetry to confidently say that was brilliant, but I suspect that someone who did know, would say something like that.

    I do have a criticism — one I hope will help and ultimate encourage you, rather than discourage you — for you seem to me to have some genuine talent that I would hate to discourage, even mildly discourage.

    The poem deserves that more time and effort be taken in its composition than it seems to me was taken. Some elements appear dashed off without any further thought given to them. For instance, the first two stanzas: Full of dreary cliches, in my opinion.

    Again, there were moments when you did just the opposite of what you did with “happy book people”: You bludgeoned us with exaggerated and false statements — or so they came across to me. For example, “years lived in obscurity and agony”. Obscurity I can see. That’s plausible to me. But “agony”? Is that really true? I doubt it, and if it is true, you’ve broken my heart. I’m betting you could do better, much better.

    Nevertheless, all in all, Kat, a poem I myself would be more than proud to have composed.

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    1. “We are all searching for the new music” actually was the line that inspired me to write this entire poem, but I must say the final outcome really digressed from the initial idea I had, which was that we are all looking for something new to give meaning to our lives.

      And you are correct, I did rush through this poem more than I would like to admit. But I also am fairly new to writing poetry. Every poem I wrote is posted on this blog (so maybe around six poems) and I’ve never received any poetic criticism before.

      That said, I really appreciate your very thoughtful criticism. I guess that cliches and exaggerations are my “go too” when I can’t think of anything else to write. And don’t worry I am very far from living in agony. In retrospect I wonder why I ever used that word.

      I am one to never really like looking back at my writing, but I’ll give it a go. Thank you so much for your comment.

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      1. Thank you for your gracious response!

        You know, when it comes to dealing with cliches, I find a useful technique is to write down the ones that come to mind, then — and only then — proceed to rework them into something fresh. That’s because the cliches do get at your meaning, so writing them down helps you focus on it.

        Also I hope and wish you many future poems and much enjoyment of them.

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  6. Pingback: Poetry Critique: “The Happy Book People” by Kat | Café Philos: an internet café

  7. I found this poem beautiful, refreshing and thought-provoking.
    As has already been pointed out by your critics above, it is not perfect, but then what is?
    There is a vitality, an enthusiasm, and a hunger for life in your writing which I adore.
    Stay young, stay fresh, and keep writing.
    Good luck.

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    1. Thank you so much! Your kind words mean so much to me.

      Yes, it is not perfect, and I am so grateful to have received critique. I am currently working on revising this poem to make it better.

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  8. Pingback: The Happy Book People (2.0) – Kat's observations.

  9. Interesting piece of poetry, and in addition to this piece. I found that you were able to share your truth, a truth, or somebody’s truth. Sharing writings on a page is intense sometimes and special to share in approaching feedback.

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