Joy Found Its Rhythm & Smiled

He had wandered into the market with music in his hands and nowhere particular to be. Sunlight followed him between the crowded stalls as his playing mingled with the voices, footsteps and quiet bustle of the afternoon. Little by little, people began to pause, drawn in by something warmer than the music itself. Smiles appeared, hands began to clap, and familiar routines seemed to loosen as strangers shared the same unexpected moment. Somewhere between one song and the next, he found himself laughing along with them, unable to hold back the happiness that had gathered around him. For a little while, the market seemed to belong to everyone who had stopped to listen.