Is Optimism Enough?

“Are you happy?”

The question hits
my gut,
slingshots
down the hall
deadends
at optimism

“Of course,” I respond.

What else can I say…
Sure life needs tweaking…
I am learning to be better…
I can make this work…

Why?  What do see?
Thoughts unspoken
but the bell has been rung…

(I wrote this poem in 2020, in response to a prompt. It was inspired by an encounter with an old flame, whose question caught me off guard. I was not, in fact, happy at the time – my then marriage about to crumble. The thing is, this event happened almost 30 years ago, and yet remains in my mind. Funny how the psyche holds onto things. Image my own.)

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VJ

Permission to write, paint, and imagine are the gifts I gave myself when chronic illness hit - a fair exchange: being for doing. Relevance is an attitude. Humour essential.

44 thoughts on “Is Optimism Enough?”

  2. The last two lines are so telling…the bell rung, thoughts unspoken. People who know us well listen to more than the words we say. They sense what we are feeling without any words at all.

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  3. Vj, your poem captures a moment of vulnerability in response to a simple yet profound question. The speaker’s reflexive “yes” masks deeper uncertainties, reflecting a struggle between outward optimism and internal doubts. The ending, with the “bell has been rung,” suggests that the question has triggered a moment of introspection and unease.

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  5. Very artfully written, VJ. i totally get it, have been there. I especially like “slingshots down the hall, deadends at optimism…” Falls under the category of “stories we tell ourselves to make it feel better”…

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  7. Stellar words. I think that when one begins with optimism one ends in a good place. It’s a good tool.

    I also think that 1. when a person asks if you’re happy it’s because they are looking for their own “happy”
    2. They are genuinely concerned about what emanates from you: when we’re happy it shows; When we’re not, it shows. The interrogator deciphers a change. Or sees themselves reflected in that change. Sorry. That’s what I think.

    I adore your poems. Wow me every time. Thanks for sharing.

    I hope your happy moments are endless.

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    1. Thanks so much for your well thought out response, Selma. I wondered if he was injecting and unspoken “without me?” Maybe he was looking for ‘us’ in my eyes.

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  9. I was just considering today how to reply when people ask “How are you?”–Do we ever really know? Do they really want to know?
    But “Are you happy?” is a much bigger jolt than that. Your words do the same thing. I will be thinking about this for awhile. (K)

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  10. Excellent poem . Sometimes I need to be around someone who is ultra negative to be reminded how much happier i am to be more optimistic.- this was the case for me the other day! I came away muttering ‘moaning Minnie’ under my breath:)

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  13. I love what Victoria wrote about a “stark truth”. It’s what came to my mind too when I read this. I also like what Marie said about smiling. I read that once too and tried it. It really does work and is a good tool to have when needed.

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  17. Love that last line. It’s true how one simple question or statement can stay with us a long time, possibly because it brings to light or triggers something more than we wanted to admit out loud.

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  18. I like your wondering about how/why our psyche holds on to specific moments and yet others fall entirely by the wayside. I had a mentor once who told me glimpses of stark truth, when we confront ourselves fully, will stick with us. Your phrase, ‘deadends with optimism’ feels familiar. Like a truth. xo, VJ! 💕

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