Joy conquered? No. She is not vincible.
Crush her as fruit-in-fist clenched: juice pours out.
Pin her to a shame-wrought tree: forests rise
To bear the glory, adorned with festive light.
Death and Sorrow met in the fouling place
And schemed how best to catch Joy on her way.
“Suppose we trick and trap her in a tomb?”
And so they sought, inviting Joy to dwell
First in a womb, but she found it spacious
And hospitable. Then Sorrow fixed a trough
As Joy’s first bed to make a meal of her,
But Joy laughed and shared herself with all
As bread and wine transposed from hand to hand.
Then Death, impatient, led Joy to his house
And sealed the stony door. A gracious guest,
Joy tasted full the meal and company,
But as the hour grew late, politely bid
Her host “good morn” and lightly turned the key,
Greeting the gardener with a brighter smile,
Since Dawn was rising mirthful in the east.
Todd Anderson (Stuff of the Rind, Sand and Sail, The Reluctant Prophet) writes the newsletter Mirth to share a behind-the-scenes look at his writing process as well as to offer readers the first fruits of his poetry and reflections. He grew up in the forests of small-town Ontario, contending against nature in all its beauty and harshness. His training as a literary scholar of Latin and English literature inflects his love of poignant turns of phrase, but it is the influence of his family and their myriad adventures together that infuses his story-telling and poetry with its substance and power. Todd lives and writes in Ottawa with his wife and six children. If you are interested in supporting Todd’s work, please follow the links below to donate or buy his books.
Todd Edward Anderson 