I’ve always been mesmerized by the idea of joy: why do pops of color on a painting seem to invoke more smiles than a grey, overcast sky? Or why do we never fail to laugh when standing at the crash of a wave? One of the books I return to whenever I need inspiration is Barbra Ann Kipfer’s 14,000 Things to Be Happy About, which was introduced to me by one of my closest friends.
I’ll flip to a random page on the book and before I know it, I’ll catch myself smiling or nodding in agreement, like I do on page 2: “memories of the good things you ate in childhood”. When I read that line I am immediately transported to noisy dim sum restaurants in my hometown: oolong tea sprouting from a porcelain pot, percussive clangs of dirty plates stained in soy sauce, and bamboo steamers that float around the dining room like flying saucers.
This is the power of joy— it transcends time and space.
Through this piece, I want to honor the beauty of joy: an emotion that is often forgotten or taken for granted. My process with blackout poetry begins with mining. I imagine myself to be a miner deep in a murky cave. I have to use my limbs to press against the sharp walls to see if I’m surrounded by gold or jewels. The gold and jewels are words. I am always excavating for the word that demands my attention: sometimes it’s an instant reaction, sometimes it takes a little more digging.
When creating this poem, the words “velvet cushion”, “sparks”, and “cotton jumper”, immediately stuck out to me. These were all words that carried an intrinsic, positive meaning. When I think of ‘sparks’, I think of fireworks sprawling across the jagged cityscape on Chinese New Year; When I think of ‘cotton jumper’, I think of swaying in a hammock as dusk dances on the sleeves of my favorite grey sweatshirt.
Practicing the art of joy, like creating a blackout poem, requires searching. It isn’t hard to notice joy, especially when your eyes are truly open to excavating each and every corner: a crumpled dollar bill in the pocket of your jeans, frozen tree branches under the sun that look like diamonds from Tiffany’s, or an unexpected, genuine compliment. When you spend time observing the offerings of the world, you will notice that joy is forever present.
