Laughter in the Shadows

In chambers filled with laughter, light, and carefree sound, A discordant echo hangs, heavy and unbound. A specter in the corner, draped in deep shadows, A chilling truth the merry words refuse to keep. The body lies unseen, a weight upon the air, A stark reminder whispered, a burden hard to bear. Yet mirthful sounds erupt, a careless, joyous cry, A dissonance of spirit, a question in the eye. Is laughter then a traitor, a mask we wear with ease, To shield the fragile heart from truths that bring unease? Or is it life's rhythm, a counterpoint to pain, A flickering, fleeting candle in the pouring rain? Perhaps we are a canvas, where darkness meets the light, A tapestry of sorrow woven with threads of brightness. The human heart, a vessel for joy and despair, A dance of contradictions, a burden all must share. Do we compartmentalise, these feelings we possess, Divide the light and shadow, finding fleeting peace? Or does this laughter echo, a truth we can't deny, The fundamental fracture, the question in our cry? The echo lingers long, a memory bittersweet, A testament to duality, a balance incomplete. For even in the face of loss, where sorrow reigns supreme, The heart, it seeks a solace, a fleeting, joyful dream. So let the laughter linger, a reminder bittersweet, Of life's complexities, the sorrow, and the fleet. We carry both within us, the darkness and the light, A dance of contradictions, forever in our sight.