Look, you’ve felt happy before
But it’s always had butterfly wings
Never a tangible thing;
And you’ve caught it once or twice,
But you wouldn’t say you know it personally
It never stayed long enough for that
Like a hookup you occasionally meet.
It always lingers just for a moment,
Before it slips from your fingers like water.
Look, you’ve felt happy before
But it’s always had butterfly wings;
It’s eluded you for years.
You wouldn’t know joy if it was the wind in the air
Or the last-night leftovers in Tupperware
Or the smell of shampoo in her hair
Or the pills you were meant to take but got too scared.
You wouldn’t know joy if it crawled up
And laid in your lap
And ran its soft hand up your side.
You wouldn’t know joy if it screamed tears in your face
And slammed the door without goodbye.
Look, you’ve felt happy before
But it always had butterfly wings.
In youth it was a slow caterpillar,
Easily kept in your hands.
But it slowly turned into a butterfly;
So much more beautiful but harder to attain.
Impossible to retain.
Butterfly in butter fingers
Chasing it has put you through the ringer.
Look, you’ve felt happy before
But it’s always had butterfly wings;
You could never win.