No Surprise
by Jeffrey Zable
I wouldn’t be surprised if, pound for pound, most people
are happier than I am and for longer periods of time.
This must be the case, or there would be even more suicides,
people walking around weeping out loud, banging their heads
against the sides of buildings, darting in front of speeding
vehicles, and pointing squirt guns at police officers while
they’re eating a doughnut and washing it down with a cup of coffee.
Surely, most people are happier and more content than I am,
and for years this realization made me feel angry, insecure,
and ultimately jealous that I wasn’t someone who could follow
the rules of this life, laugh like I meant it, and travel to new places
with an open heart. Maybe, I think to myself, for all the suffering
I’ve gone through, I’ll come back as a dog owned by someone
who gives me free rein of the house, top-notch food, and each
and every day takes me for a walk in the best part of town where
it’s always clean and safe, and where the most successful people live,
who are usually the happiest. . .
are happier than I am and for longer periods of time.
This must be the case, or there would be even more suicides,
people walking around weeping out loud, banging their heads
against the sides of buildings, darting in front of speeding
vehicles, and pointing squirt guns at police officers while
they’re eating a doughnut and washing it down with a cup of coffee.
Surely, most people are happier and more content than I am,
and for years this realization made me feel angry, insecure,
and ultimately jealous that I wasn’t someone who could follow
the rules of this life, laugh like I meant it, and travel to new places
with an open heart. Maybe, I think to myself, for all the suffering
I’ve gone through, I’ll come back as a dog owned by someone
who gives me free rein of the house, top-notch food, and each
and every day takes me for a walk in the best part of town where
it’s always clean and safe, and where the most successful people live,
who are usually the happiest. . .