Life's Shadows

Sad man, Sad man, quoth what you may, Of life’s raptures that has left you in dismay, “My young pupil, my eyes weep from sorrow, My fainting heart scatters at the mirthless world, You know not of unwelcomed lives, Begotten by the burdens of poverty, Whelmed by burdens of possessions, And starved by galls of smitten tears, I, my dear, have witnessed misery, Clutched the aching heart and embraced agony, Should I be miserable if not for more?” Said the child to its master “Words have weight, actions need control, For if you welcome but perfection, Deep set wounds will be but a blunder, For none is sheltered from harm’s baleful touch, Strength dwells not where weakness has not sojourned, Happiness is inconspicuous to eyes gloom never caressedm, Life’s a weary thing; it always comes in pairs, For each hidden frown, there is a grateful smile, And sweet sympathy which crowns them all, My master, jumbled strife, Is but the builder of character, Untried strength then beholds men, Beholding space, forgetting known fears, Each soul embraces struggle and weary strife, Kisses slipping joy and escalating woes, Like the touch of the thorn to embrace the rose, Smile at your fate and let it come, Pardon sullen sorrow and unearth the beauty of life, For a path your feet have never trod, Can never gape at the everlasting beauty of the frost.” By Kalyani Rajalingham