Unsatisfied Desire

Suggested Reading: Psalm 96

“It is that of an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction. I call it Joy…” ~C.S. Lewis

A clear voice hangs in velvet darkness —
an angel sings in the unfathomable language of heaven,
a new mother cries out in pain, relief, and wonder.
In the fleeting moment,
we catch our breath,
lose our speech,
let the voice become our own,
feel a tremor of knowing that fades with the note.
It is everything and not enough,
beauty that aches instead of pleases.

This is the distillation of all we carry in our hearts —
the happiness informed by sadness,
the light made brighter by the dark.
We tremble at the pinnacle of desire and satisfaction,
and when we fall, we believe that one day
we will be able to grasp the ephemeral,
suspended
eternally in the moment.
And, until then,
we agonize,
we delight,
in the reaching.

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