Overlapping Joy Poem by Jim Yerman

Some days when I wake up….I have this comfort system I employ…
I list a few things…a kind of free association…that I've found bring me joy.

I have discovered here in North Carolina…a different location on the map
some joys are separate from those in Florida…while some joys overlap.

The stars that twinkle in the sky…the way the colors of the leaves change every day
hot chocolate on a cold night…the whistle of the train as it nears then fades away.

A visit from a deer or a turkey family…the way the sun peeks through the trees.
listening to a mountain rain…catching falling leaves as they float upon the breeze.

Mountain dogs without their leashes…watching the sun behind the mountain drop.
sitting on the porch playing cards…clouds casting shadows on the mountain tops.

Hiking up and down the mountains….watching the squirrels and foxes prance
A windy day amidst the trees as their leaves and branches dance.

Listening to the birds, the wind, the murmur of a mountain stream….
sitting in the cold, dark silence of the morning…with nothing to do but dream.

Watching nature dance her beautiful ballet with grace and elegance and style
experiencing these with family and friends…who stop in and visit for a little while

It seems whether in Florida, in North Carolina…
or anywhere I travel on the map
the joy of sharing joy with loved ones…
is a joy that will always overlap

Because the true beauty of it all…
the daily joy I receive from here upon the ground
or from the sky above….
is always made more joyful…
by sharing it
with those I love.