ATTEMPTED HAPPINNESS

a poem written in 2012

Attempted Happiness

Forget about this opportunity to win......

Forget a hyena’s smirky grin, belly laughs

or the foamy splashes of scented water,

during a sumptuous bath.

Forget about angling or mountaineering

In fact, forget anything vaguely,

adventurous, fun or exhilarating

 

I want to appeal to the terminally

 pathetic, whose outlook is generally gloomy

 and righteously hectic…

And before you regard me as a devious cheat

I readily anticipate resounding defeat.

And I duly confess, that my dismal

 glumness, has gained notoriety and

therefore any notion of ‘happiness’

is exempt from my bleak and witless

 poetic vocabulary.

 

Though, I would happily burden

 the nation with miserable words of

turmoil and deprivation.

For, I write for die hard doubters,

the morosely pessimistic,

for down - trodden depressives

 and mistrusting cynics. Rendering

 my competition entry:

with sullen pomposity as exemplary,

of complete useless-ness-ity! 

Sh 09.04.12

 

 

 

 

 

drafts-chess-football-tennis-ping pong-badminton-skittles- pool-snooker-table tennis-rounders-hop scotch, karam, black jack, snap, patience, solitaire, baseball, basketball, poker, back gammon, scrabble, monopoly, operation, charades, parcel-parcel- rugby, cricket, putting, bowls, horse racing, canoeing, eye spy, ludo, trivial pursuit, cludo, connect four, wrestling, twister, polo,  juggling,  word searches, cross words, catch, piggy in the middle, bridge, scale electric, golf, had, two-balls, marbles, mah-jong, mastermind  

 

 

 

Reviews

[Jack...]

Funny the things that make people happy. Nice gestures can make one happy, or making someone else's life miserable can make one happy. Happiness is a very broad word when trying to determine a definition, but happy is what ever you want it to be I suppose. Very nicely penned here. I like this.

[SHEEMA HUQ]

I am glad Jack, to have stimulated your thought processes, glad to hear from you again :)

[lee von cleef]

piggy in the middle.

SHEEMA HUQ all caps, except mine that I doff to you.well done !

[SHEEMA HUQ]

Compliments accepted, only with a bouquet of flowers and a trophy made of 100% organic dark chocolate...... ha!

[lee von cleef]

Sweeeeeeet !

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Not a 'cross word' in this flowing, humerous, tongue in cheek piece of prose poetry.

[SHEEMA HUQ]

Nice to hear from you John, thanks.

[Cole Hayley]

This is actually really good for me, I'm going through a rough spot and I gotta admit, I totally get this. Its actually really well written, great job !

[SHEEMA HUQ]

Thank you for this appreciative review Cole, and I find it gratifying that you have found this poem quite useful, especially as the experiences which I am touching on are not always particularly to overcome, or to live with or to treat. Although it seems right to consider phases of depression, as simply phases, which can certainly be the case, thank you again.

[MOON]

Lovely write Sheema all tongue in cheek. Being miserable does not always make great poetry.

[SHEEMA HUQ]

Thanks for your comments Moon.

[emmajoy]

' I write for die hard doubters, ~ the morosely pessimistic, ~ for down - trodden depressives ~ and mistrusting cynics. ' .. .. not sure whether to laugh or cry!

There's a wit in this poem, a tongue in cheek cleverness - for and to me anyway .. that final stanza seems to be the icing on the useless-ness-ity of your attempted cake!

You always write with a very distinct voice, no veiling the skilfull metaphors, etc. Thanks muchly for sharing again. :)

(Eyes bulged trying to read that teeny font re. games at the end .. ! Unsure, are they part of your poem or am i having hallucinations, Sheema!

[SHEEMA HUQ]

Thank you for your most interesting and energetic review and elaborations (as ever) dear Emma Joy! I so enjoy reading your interpretations and am most flattered by your kind compliments! Oh what a pleasure it can be to laugh through adversities ( as opposed to laugh them off and not address the issues). Thank you so very much I was unsure about publishing this older piece and for some reason then began to link the poem, visually with playing board games or with leisure activities, games which of course keep the mind occupied and so the list came about, which was just an idea which I was working through. I am glad you asked, and am glad that you called by. Thanks so much.

[Sami Khalil]

The way I read this poem is that you are entering a contest of poetry and you want to choose gloomy subjects or write about pathetic people who are down and gloomy ( I could be wrong ) . I doubt that you will loose competitions for you are gifted with talent...Bravo

[SHEEMA HUQ]

Hello Sami, I didn't win this competition! Your compliments are both flattering and encouraging....we all go through phases of the most demeaning term, 'pathetic' which I was trying to frame lightly within my word play, good of your to drop by and thanks a million!

[Sami Khalil]

I understand. At least you have tried...That is part of success... You are welcome...:)