The Shadow of the Whip ~ Friday, May 22, 2026

If I found the secret to happiness

If ever, as if, I could find, once lost
found discarded, in the open, treasure

I am a dreamer, over the rainbow

foundling orphan, wishful thinking, the cost
of the price of admission, to belong
under the banner, the flag of pleasure
nothing I would ever know of, to grow
depressed, diminished by the past, downcast

the secret to happiness, to be strong
however right or wrong, my intentions
enter the fray of battle, nerves on edge

secrets, behind closed doors, interventions
each more brutal than the last, on the ledge
cast a look down, remember, life moves fast
realize, I will never be so light
ever so light, to skip like a young girl
to see her long hair bounce in the night air

to happiness, I toast my friends, I fight
only tears, an old crab full of sorrow

happiness ephemeral as a pearl
as fleeting as friendships, nothing as fair
perhaps as change itself, as time unfolds
perhaps, I am a curmudgeon, Sparrow
if Little Bird, in a word, could grow rich
not filthy rich like billionaires galore
each to their own, no judgment, if I bitch
squeaky wheel gets the grease, what is the score
simply said, with his fists, my father scolds