Ode to Oxytocin

When hope has lost its feathers

and cowers shivering in the dark,

and spirits founder to unfathomed depths,

do not despair: relief is close at hand.

Reach out and grab a cat, a dog, a kid,

a spouse if they’re around, and hug them tight.

Rest your screen-sore eyes. Inhale instead

the scent of fresh-licked fur,

or baby scalp, or lover’s epidermis.

With reverent fingertips explore

stiffness of whisker, coolness of nose,

roundness of cranium, and softness of pelt.

Then attend as the tides begin to surge

of oxytocin, the hormone of Venus,

depression’s foe, blood pressure’s stalwart friend,

manna to wanderers in this vale of tears,

fast-acting, free, and non-addictive.

Queen of the hormones, biology’s Valium,

Suffuse our sinews with your blessed balm

And bring us relief, bliss, and calm.