“happiness epidemic”
by david hernandez
without any warning, the disease
sweeps across the country
like a traveling circus.
people who were once blue,
who slouched from carrying
a bag of misery over one shoulder
are now clinically cheerful.
symptoms include kind gestures,
a bouncy stride, a smile
bigger than a slice of cantaloupe.
you pray that you will be infected,
hope a happy germ invades your body
and multiplies, spreading merriment
to all your major organs
like door-to-door christmas carolers
until the virus finally reaches your heart:
that red house at the end of the block
where your deepest wishes reside,
where a dog howls behind a gate
every time that sorrow
pulls his hearse up the driveway.
source: hernandez, david. “happiness epidemic.” casa poema. casa poem, n. d. web. 6 june 2011.
which poetic technique is illustrated throughout the entire poem “happiness epidemic“?
metonymy
onomatopoeia
conceit
allusion