<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Happiness </span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">So early it’s still almost dark out.</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">I’m near the window with coffee,</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">and the usual early morning stuff</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">that passes for thought.</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">When I see the boy and his friend</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">walking up the road</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">to deliver the newspaper.</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">They wear caps and sweaters,</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">and one boy </span><div class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">has a bag over his </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">shoulder.</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">They are so happy</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">they aren’t saying anything, </span><div class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">these </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">boys.</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">I think if they could, </span></div><div class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">they would take</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">each other’s arm.</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">It’s early in the morning,</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">and they are </span></div><div class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">doing this thing </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">together.</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">They come on, slowly.</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">The sky is taking on light,</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">though the moon still hangs pale</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">over the water.</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Such beauty that for a minute</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">death and ambition, even love,</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">doesn’t enter into this.</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Happiness. It comes on</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">unexpectedly. </span><div class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">And goes beyond, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">really,</span><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">any early morning </span></div><div class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">talk about it.</span></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Raymond Carver</span></div></div></div></div></body></html>