Happiness arrives by Devon Balwit

Happiness arrives

after the diagnosis, after the jilting
at the altar, after the storm
has paralyzed the interstate, after
the last uniformed driver has quit
the block, after beauty
has stripped the bed and left
the damp towels wadded
on the tiles, after the oxygen
canister hisses empty
well below the summit, after
the last bandicoot
and yellow-barred barbet, after
the favorite pen has run dry, the last
page ripped from the spiral, after
even you have given up
your post at the window,
surprising you
in the darkness where
you least expected it.

—for Alexandra

by Devon Balwit

Editor’s Note: This poem’s title immediately draws the reader into a litany of life’s difficult arrivals, but by the last line, hope steals in quietly and with emphasis.