Resolution to Laugh More

by F.H. Lee
The Write Idea
Second Place, February 2019
Judged by Ruth Bavetta


My daughter
gave me
a rock
painted red.
It had
two words
written on
its surface;
“Laugh More”.
The irony?
It made
me want
to cry.


We see them in doctor’s offices, in self-help books, on Facebook—those happyface posters and cheery objects touting the latest in cliched bromides that promise to bring us to a greater understanding and a happier life. In truth, they often make us feel even more inadequate or unhappy than we were before, convincing us of our own inadequacy. Big subject, short poem, but it does the job. --Ruth Bavetta