If half my happiness should hail from cradle—
Be it peacock's rain dance or cuckoo's coo,
Be it a frugal meal's caressing taste,
Retiring or rising sun at seashore,
Reassuring touch of love lost in time,
Fragrance of beloved's flesh fresh from toilet;
And half, from happenings of life in saddle—
Not something that looks like blessings from blue,
But fostered art of forgetting in haste,
In welcoming whatso knocks at the door,
Feeling full if or not life's notes play prime,
In giving to life more than one may get—
Much like a child building castles of joy:
Happy to build, happy should tides destroy!
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It is said,50% of happiness is determined by genes (nature— likes-dislikes) . Ten percent comes from experiences of life (nurture) , while 40% depends upon how one responds to these circumstances— what he makes of what he gets. In other words half of happiness is ruled by birth, the rest by life— how it is lived, how he responds to life that unfolds. At least,40% of happiness is in man's hands. Yet, likes and dislikes, governed by senses, also can be changed. And most of it is made in mind. This is what the poem-ending couplet avers. The first six lines rhyme seriatim with the next six.
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Sonnets | 11.06.13 |
An insightful and perceptive poem on how one can attain happiness. Wonderfully written . So informative. Onto my Poem List to remind me from time to time on how to build my castles of Joy. Liked the title.Cleverly written.
Happiness differs from person to person. One's joy may be one's unjoy. You have put a nice chart about happiness in percentage on Poet's note. A nice sonnet on joy or happiness has been portrayed by you amazingly.. The concluding lines are much impressive. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your encouraging comments. Yes, you're right the couplet that follows the Volta of a sonnet has to be such.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Much of life's happiness comes from how we respond to circumstances. The same circumstance may produce different reactions in different individuals as some say 'the glass is half full' while some others say... 'it is half empty'! Mind is its own place and in itself can make a a heaven and heaven a ! Meaningful and insightful write.....!
You're right, one can always build castles of joy in air and be happy if an ability is developed to see the glass as always full, if not with the liquid of love, with air, because life refuses vacuum. Thank you dear Valsa George.