Diaphanous (dye-AF-uh-nus)
Formal word used to describe fabric of a texture so fine that one can see through it.
Used figuratively to describe something characterized by extreme delicacy of form.
Human happiness
is a diaphanous thing—
attached to stuff
in the way it is.
It is easily shattered,
quickly scattered,
and carelessly splattered
the day that stuff becomes
useless discard.
Joy, on the other hand,
is diaphanous’ arch enemy.
Joy knows no fragility,
but is immune
to circumstantial neglect,
shifting, or change.
Joy finds its grounding
in the Eternal One Himself—
a constant and unchanging
reality.
So claim joy.
Delight in happiness
while it is.
But when it goes,
let joy be the temper
that steadies your heart
and grounds your soul
in life’s unsteadiness.
