"In times of joy, all of us wished we possessed a tail we could wag"

W. H. Auden’s observation about wishing for a tail to wag during times of joy playfully highlights the limits of human expression compared to animals. Dogs, for instance, are renowned for their open, uninhibited ability to communicate happiness; their wagging tails serve as unmistakable flags of delight. Humans, despite being capable of profound emotion, often find their outward gestures—smiles, laughter, clapping—comparatively constrained or even insufficient in conveying true exuberance. Auden’s fanciful reflection exposes a gentle envy of animal candor and physicality, implying that our anatomy denies us an instantaneous, universally understood signal of bliss.

This longing is rooted in an awareness that joy seeks expression, but cultural and physical norms sometimes discourage us from fully displaying our elation. Society, with its rules of decorum, often values restraint, which can make overt demonstrations of feeling seem out of place. Meanwhile, animals such as dogs experience no such tension; their emotional lives are transparent, their bodies seamlessly translating inner feeling to external action. Auden subtly critiques the human condition, suggesting that emotional repression or complexity sometimes dampens experience, whereas animals like dogs live in wholehearted immediacy.

The wish for a “tail to wag” also underscores the communal element of happiness. When joyful, people frequently desire to share the feeling, to emit a visible, shared signal of delight to those around them, just as a dog wags its tail in greeting or excitement. The shared expression of happiness can deepen connections and forge bonds. Auden’s whimsical metaphor, rooted in both humor and longing, ultimately spotlights a universal human desire: to have our internal joys rendered external in a vivid, unmistakable, and communal way, to live as openly and authentically as the creatures we admire, especially in our happiest moments.