Unfettered joy is contagious – and sometimes spreads in unexpected ways.

Incidental Contact

Through the dull hospital window
he saw them: a young father and his young son,

out on the parking lot; walking
at first, and then, an unexpected event!

The father began skipping, his feet
lightly dancing; his face breaking into laughter!

And the boy, no more than three or
four years old; he began skipping too and giggling!

The both of them bobbling merrily,
exquisitely and with some courage; surrounded

as they were on almost all sides by
the stark walls of the sterile fortress.

From his wheelchair he watched them go;
a sudden happiness spreading across his soul.

After a while, smiling, he turned slowly away
from the dull window; savoring

the healing force of unfettered joy, flowing over his old heart,
like a wondrous medicine.

Next poem: The Delay

Author: Jerry Dan Deutschendorf
from: Red Earth Whisperings
Part III: Family and Friends