Joy

By Trevor James Cunnington

PROMPT — Joy is ...

It churns smokelike out from the belly

in waves and gurgling noises, accompanying

drink, festivals, dance, and song

gains momentum once let off the leash

spreads through a cluster of humanity

as if contagious, as if necessary for survival;

it can be found on a beloved’s face at

airports, train stations, and bus terminals;

it swallows long absences,

in bellies with room enough for loneliness

and its disappearance, slowly, dry ice clouding

the room and simulating blindness.

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Trevor Cunnington is a queer and neurodivergent writer/artist/educator who lives in Toronto. They are the poetry editor of KayTell Ink Publishing. Their work has appeared in The Rivanna Review, Radon, BlazeVox, Word for/Word, God's Cruel Joke, and others. You can find them online at ww.patreon.com/trevorcunnington or on instagram @trevorcunnington.