The Only Way Out is Through

I am finding joy
in the little things again.
A jar of spice,
that pungent powder,
from a specialty store,
two spry puppies rolling
in a social sparring,
a truffle of dark chocolate,
cool line of liquor
flooding my tongue.

I am finding joy
in his crooked finger
straining upward, pointing
to the waving leaves and limbs
of trees, to boats bobbing
in the lakefront marina,
to the eighteen-wheeler sliding
past us on the freeway,
to the wedge of toast hidden
beneath pale yellow eggs.

I am finding joy
not in the measurements
or accolades, nor the “whys?”
and wants, nor the precociousness
of a typical toddler.
I am finding joy in him,
he who deserves
to be celebrated
as a joy onto himself.

Enough

It is a movie with Jennifer Lopez.
It is the amount of money you need.
It is the number of chords you know.
It is a hand over your coffee cup, a sign to the waitress.
It is what you tell your child when he just won’t stop.
It is the amount of food you never think you can eat.
It is what you tell yourself
about your parents, your spouse, your friends, your love,
so you can stop looking elsewhere.
It is what you fear you will never be: enough.