I stood in awe of the sunset
Watching its rare beauty unfold,
Ray by ray, heavenly hues changed
From orange, to crimson, to gold
I saw silhouettes of leafless trees
Raising their bare arms to the sky,
As if to praise some entity ---
Or perhaps preparing to die
For all living things must succumb
Sooner or later ....... it's destiny;
Suddenly I saw the reason
We surrender so willingly
Now it was starting to make sense --
The crucial role Misery plays;
Might it be an act of mercy
That pain and sorrow fills our days?
Flora and fauna share the same fate
As does every being on Earth;
Predators, drought, sickness and blight
Stalk us from the moment of birth
Would any of us welcome Death
If our domain were Paradise?
How could we forsake happiness
If sad tears never blurred our eyes?
Knowing the anguish of loneliness .....
Constant, unsubdued by time;
Dour pain - mental and physical -
All the while faint bells of hope chime
Hope - that vain and fruitless longing
That augments our pain 'til we break,
Finally leaving us to welcome
That impending trip we'll all take
Weak and tired we concede defeat,
And with our last breath we implore
Death's guidance across Life's threshold,
And down that divine corridor
How we welcome this departure
As from pain and suffering we flee;
But what angst we'd feel leaving Eden .......
So I'm thankful for Misery!