"In the Log of Human Misery"

Is irony something beyond us—in the mind
of a fish (if fish have minds), in the way a dog
cocks its head or a cat looks behind
itself when it knows nothing's there? In the log
of human misery, the fates always provide
these illustrations: man bites dog, fish hook
hooks fisherman, soldier gives birth, bride
ditches wedding, universe implodes. Look
behind every tragedy and you're bound to find
a joke. In some cosmic emergency room,
the dog, the fisherman, the soldier, the bride all wind
up getting healed to the sound of laughter. And soon
enough, the universe is expanding again,
blowing off the fatal tragedies like Zen.