I’m still here Don’t you feel my presence? People always say There’s a thin line Between happiness and joy But baby you brought it And I don’t think I ever truly felt it Until you held me But you’re gone now And so is it The light That you helped to ignite And I’m not alright I literally see you everywhere In everything I do I can’t escape you It’s like the universe doesn’t want me to quit To give in But what am I supposed to do? When you lit my flame But you’re the same one Who dug my grave Happiness and joy Once upon a time were abundant But right now it’s pain That’s triumphant

There is a thin line between happiness and joy It is called choice.

And in the night, when nightmares rave. Two eyes are seeping through to my brain. A solitude wrapped in flames. Desperate to eat my sane. Lively, loveless drops of rain. Trickle down down down... growing daisies on my grave... -HMG

I just want to be happy You hear that all the time But is that something to chase? Something fleeting, no solid base? The pursuit of happiness Is external, unsustainable Fleeting moments, may make you smile Maybe the feeling stays a while But joy is being content, A much harder mission There are many ways to feel happy But left neglected, there’ll be a joy division If you want it easy, you’ll get what you work for The outside may look rich But your soul remains poor Rome or anything great Wasn’t built within days, Sit with yourself and ask what drives you Hands on the steering wheel, you choose One is easier to achieve, Which is why happiness is chased repeatedly It’s ok to be happy, of course But life is about balance Have a diverse palate Joy is the key, to your own palace Peace, contentment, joy, Requires actions, work, methods you learn to employ When you live through social media It gives you a false idea, on what life should mean to ya Focus on the internal, Breathe, inhale, exhale, become eternal Create a new order, transform and transition Transmit that new signal Receive joy division

Music has always been the answer In the moment, nothing else matters Get lost in the sounds, the lyrics Lose control and become the music, Holy Spirit There are many artists, that have influenced and are special to me Here is one of many, the man known as TVZ In his simplicity, there is beauty His fingerpicking and songwriting Feel the emotion in every tune, the real music from the country From Lungs to Poncho & Lefty One of the reasons I got to writin Was to avoid the gamblin, booze and ramblin I feel the pain so intensely sometimes, all I can do is cry That truly seems easier than waitin around to die I guess this is a thank you to one of my favorites, as far as I’m concerned If you won’t take it from another legend, Steve Earle: “Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world” That’s a solid selling point, to get immersed So fare thee well TVZ, your legacy lives on Wish more people could see, Your soul was hurt, these songs made you happy Relatable, I’m built the same way Pulled into the darkness like gravity, but the dark keeps me at bay Your recordings never got me snoring Never boring, filled with nostalgia From a time, never got to know ya I watched the documentary heartworn highways Got me living my life my way, It was motivating, started opening This is the beginning of my inner exploring So don’t worry y’all, I’ll be here in the morning

Lines are drawn across the board, They keep order we prove to need. Lines are sprawled across the field, In hopes to stop the players greed. Lines are everywhere, up and down, The world holds them in. Lines are in our thoughts, our minds, Between the bright and dim. Lines between emotions exist, Most famous love and hate. Lines are between good and bad, Too early and too late. Lines appear with everything, Happiness and joy. Lines are shown to hold us down, To prove to us the decoy. Lines come from sunshine yellow, Ocean blue and forest green. Lines show up in silver bell, Purple flower, golden queen. Lines surround us all, Hurting and helping life. Lines hope to change our minds, Between dangerous and wife.

They stole our joy. Ordered us back to this side of the line. There was joy in our ways of knowing of seeing of doing of being. There was fear. And their ways of knowing of seeing of doing of being were imposed. You must settle for happiness said they. You must inhabit this side of the line.

I stand in the river, thirsty, tongue dry & too big in my mouth, body wilted and hands cupped as water slips through my fingers. I take the moments I can— a laugh here, a smile there, as this desert world sucks the moisture from my lips. I might yet survive, if I could only find a cup.

There’s a greek word called “Eudaimonia” that refers to a “good spirit” Some might call it “happiness” but that doesn’t even come near it Happiness is ephemeral, a slave to circumstance It’s a roll of dice in your day-to-day, an emotion left to chance “Good spirit” is a lifestyle a joy that’s everlasting It’s found in an eternal hope that lives beyond your passing It’s hard to live in steadfast joy when searching on the ground so look higher than the earthly realm to the heavens where it’s found

Happiness comes as giddy sense, multiple forms; mixtures of pink a yellow, a soft sigh, bubbles of laughter, completely in the moment, quiet waves lapping at your feet contently. Joy comes as a wildfire, quickly overwhelming, mostly surprise, anything but quiet. Don’t get them confused Joy comes with a quick fuse, Joy comes with a punch, Happiness would rather not.