Echo of Joy

Ha!
Then my laughter wouldn’t ring out – it would unfold.
Like a warm wave creeping onto your skin suddenly.
Like an unexpected childhood memory you don’t remember –
But it remembers you.

You would feel it beneath your collarbones –
A ticklish pulse from within,
As if someone had run a feather along your heart.
But with kindness. Not to startle you – but so that you would finally breathe.

Laughter like the falling of a petal onto your wrist –
Not funny, but somehow laughable.
And warm. And a little strange – as if the world had just winked.

It would touch your shoulder blades from within,
As if someone had just wanted to hug you, but changed their mind –
And left behind a tremor slowly dissolving in your spine.

And if you are attentive enough, you will notice:
This laughter doesn’t want to disappear at all.
It remains – like an echo in the bones,
Like an answer that doesn’t need to be spoken.