Where Is The Joy

The hurdles I’ve jumped, the choices I’ve made
The regrets I have, the pain I feel
Where is the joy in living and being?
Sometimes I feel the warmth seep
Through my body, the warmth of a smile
I saw, the hug I felt, the kiss I received
And then, there is some joy in living and being

But then, and there is always a but,
The smile fades and narrows into a frown
The arms that hugged become limp and the
The lips that kissed are simply gone
Too often this occurs, too often they become
Memories, memories that distort or fade
And I ask, where is the joy?

The insecurities I have abound, why am I here?
Why do I go through this?
And the answer? Darn if I know it
So I continue to make my choices,
And feel my pain and regrets, and if
I’m lucky I’m hugged and kissed once more
I may lose it all, it may be gone
In the flash of a heartbeat
But isn’t that living and being?