Belly Laughs

Give me the kind of laughter

That forgets to be polite

The kind that snorts and wheezes and spills over 

Unapologetic

And utterly alive

Let it barrel in

Loud and glorious

Let it shake my ribs loose

In full-bodied surrender 

Give me the kind of laughter 

That only happens in good company

That makes you wipe tears from your cheeks

And says: “Stop - I can’t breathe”

Give me the kind of laughter

Over something silly and human 

That makes you forget your worries 

And your to-do list for a while

A sacred interruption 

Of unfiltered joy 

Give me that heart-cracking-open kind of laughter

A revolt against being too serious 

A big yes to the messy, beautiful absurdity of life

Give me that 

Because 

Sometimes a good belly laugh changes everything for the better

Even if just for a moment in your day

By Tanya Cameron