Clarity

Has anyone but me caught the despair
Behind the brash exuberance we saw
Last week? That jubilation is the law
Seems undeniable; it's in the air,
But every time I think, just to be fair,
That there might be some incidental flaw
In how I see the matter, some beast's claw
Rakes past, and someone's blood is in my hair.

How do you feel? How fateful was the fight
Between your joy and – underneath the smile –
The aching and the clarity no guile
Will split from seeming unalloyed delight?
Do we do anything the way we might
If we forgot our hearts for just a while?