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14 May 2025

Posted by Joanna Barnard

Happiness

It was a pleasure last week to be back in the company of the Writing for Wellbeing group, with familiar faces and new friends joining. Unbelievably I think this was the first time we have directly thought about and written about the slippery subject of happiness.

We read and discussed two poems on the theme, then everybody created their own personal response. It really makes me happy to share with you the following poem from Maggie Farran. JB



Happiness


Happiness is a gift, that must be unwrapped.

Don’t leave it in the gift box

Tied with red satin ribbon.

Don’t leave it folded neatly

Inside pink tissue paper.

Don’t leave it hidden

In the birthday paper decorated with red balloons.

Be bold

Untie the ribbon and pull the lid off the gift box.

Tear away at that tissue paper and screw it up.

Rip off that birthday paper and look inside

At that precious gift of happiness

Touch it, feel it, swallow it, let it consume you

For it is precious.


-Maggie Farran


(Picture credit: Jess Bailey, Unsplash)

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