In our endless pursuit of happiness, we often travel far beyond ourselves—searching through achievements, applause, memories, and dreams yet to come. This poem reflects on that universal journey and the quiet realization that happiness is rarely lost.

Like a road hidden beneath a blanket of morning fog, it remains close at hand, patiently waiting for us to slow down, look within, and recognize that what we seek has been walking beside us all along.

# The Search for Happiness #

One day, I set out to find happiness.

I searched every street,
wandered through crowded neighborhoods,
stood at unfamiliar crossroads,
asking passing faces
if they had seen where happiness had gone.

I looked for it in distant cities,
in achievements and applause,
in tomorrow’s promises
and yesterday’s memories.

But happiness remained elusive,
slipping quietly through my eager hands.

Then I realized—

The search for happiness
is much like finding a path
through a thick morning fog.

The road still exists
beneath uncertain feet.
The destination has not disappeared.
Only our vision falters.

The mist confuses us,
makes us question our direction,
slows our hurried steps,
and convinces us
that we are hopelessly lost.

But the truth is...

Happiness is there all along,
patiently waiting
for our fears to settle
and our eyes to adjust.

Perhaps happiness is not hidden
in some faraway place.

Perhaps it lives
in the warmth of a familiar voice,
the fragrance of rain-soaked earth,
a shared smile,
a hand that refuses to let go,
the quiet courage
to begin again.

And just as the stubborn fog
eventually lifts
to reveal the road
we thought we had lost,

happiness, too,
finds its way back to us—

not as a grand arrival,
but as a gentle recognition
that what we were searching for
had been walking beside us
all this while.

Is it not?

(Vijay Verma)
 www.retiredkalam.com

.

Categories: kavita

Tags: #creativity, #emotion, #Family, #Life, #Love, #poem, #wellness, faith, writing