Joy Showed Up
Photo by Quinn Corte, 2025.
Joy Showed Up
by Quinn Corte
Joy showed up
On my stoop
Unannounced.
I admit it:
I opened the door just a crack
I raised an arm to shield my eyes
“I don’t want to be rude,” I said,
Wincing from the blaze
“But could you come back later?
This is a really inappropriate time.”
She just stayed there,
Defiantly beaming
“The world is in trouble,” I continued feebly.
“And we’re just trying to get through this.”
But she just nodded
And stayed
A silent dazzling light
A boundless balm
A stubborn radiance…
Until I let her in.
She filled the house with light
Warming our frozen toes
Slowing our panicky heartbeats
Even hiding my phone
“The nerve!” I thought
But then I chuckled.
Soon enough
I stopped protesting.
I admit it:
I felt better.
Started singing in the kitchen
Picked up my weaving project
Woke up excited
So, I let her show me
How
To change.
Joy likes it
When I hold my Love close
But not too close
She says,
“Enjoy
The gift of your breaths
The fit of your bodies
The steady pulse of safety
And remember
Your clutch isn’t keeping him alive
I am.”
One night Joy gave me the side-eye
“Why are you hanging out with What If?”
She asked.
“Your life is right here
Don’t miss it
Come see this miraculous potted plant
Quietly blooming in winter
Did you really think
Your worry was more important
Than admiring these
tiny
yellow
petals?”
When I was running late
Joy told me,
“News flash:
There’s actually no rush.
There’s time
To make it from scratch
Linger in bed
Dance to one more song.
Practice Martha's rhythm
To rest when you’re tired of playing
Play when you’re tired of resting
And repeat
Forever.”
I once told Joy
I didn’t have room for her anymore.
Too much devastation
And I wasn’t doing enough.
“How can I be here with you
When horrible things keep happening?”
Her light danced on the floorboards
While I cried.
Eventually she convinced me
To make mac & cheese
And draw a bath.
That’s when she told me,
“Don’t equate suffering
With reverence
Don’t equate seriousness
With adulthood
Don’t equate worrying
With impact.”
My Anxiety gets nervous around Joy
Thinks she’s dangerous
And getting me off track.
Joy always smiles at this
Because it’s cute to think there’s a track.
“Don’t look out there for purpose,”
She tells Anxiety.
“Look to me.
Follow me.
Hear my voice.
When we’re together
Feel
Your sturdy bones
And the swaying trees
Rooted and dancing.
You’re not alone, my dear
I’ll stay right here
Soft on your pillow
Curled up in your tears
Fueling your fire
Whispering a joke
And making life
Worth it.”
With Joy around
I finally left the house
But didn’t know what to do with her.
“Could you stand over there?”
I asked awkwardly,
Ashamed to be a light
In such darkness.
At that question,
She glowed even brighter
Like a sassy mom teaching a lesson
To her embarrassed teenager.
She said with gusto,
“Don’t apologize for my brilliance
Don’t dim me down to black
Don’t embrace me in private
Then mask me like a dirty secret.
Spread my contagion!
Let delight be airborne.
Show me off
Like a rare jewel.
Be a beacon
In the night.
Spread
The
Word.”
Joy was defiant
And delicious
So I invited her to stay.
When a visitor was surprised
That Joy was home
At a time like this,
I said,
“I admit it:
I was like you
But Joy showed me
Days are long
And life is short.
So we must
let her in
Now.
We signed up for this
We're here
To know lightness
And ignite
like the sun.”
Joy showed up
On my stoop
Right on time.