Call joy a liquid detergent, washing
the worst away, and it becomes
my soul’s iodine, deterring a dark night.
Of all the emotions, it’s the ruby
that can’t be bought, the jam that’s
passed, spreading over my daily bread.
Call it love’s lava, as bold as a smear
of lipstick on a cheek, and it’s the wax
that seals us together, like an envelope its letter.
Call it a river, and it’s as necessary as blood,
branching from my heart into the body
of the world.
This is an older ekphrastic poem, inspired by the late artist Lenore Conacher’s painting “Joy Is A Liquid” and has now found a home in the 2019 Joan Ramseyer Memorial Poetry Anthology, edited by Brett Ramseyer, the theme of which was joy.
Lynne Burnett 
This is fantastic! Which, if I’m not mistaken, is a name brand of another liquid detergent…
In any case, you’ve got the market cornered on bold, red Joy!!
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Thanks, Stephanie! 😊❤️
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Wonderful! Especially the notion that joy washes away “the worst” … a little more of that, please!
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Thanks so much, Jazz! Great idea 👍
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Very good with a wonderful opening line
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Thank you, Michael! That was a lucky first thought, best thought.
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Nice! Congratulations!
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Thank you so much, Ken!
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