I scoffed at lovers playing their foolish games,
Driven to a frenzied state of mind,
"Come join us" they cried, "come fan passion's flames!"
But I declined

How I envied the hearts that love had healed
While my own heartaches I bravely masked;
If only my sad plight could be revealed . . .
But no one asked

Like tender warblings of amorous birds
Hope whispers sweet lies into my ear.
Still, Fate stubbornly withholds those three words
I long to hear

While tears may come easily, I refrain ---
How effective is this strategy?
Except for my heart, no one knows of my pain . . .
What irony!

Will Fate honor its debts long overdue?
Or are faith and hope but mockery
Of the worn-out promise that dreams do come true?
Then woe is me!

But too well I know I've myself to blame,
I scoffed at Love, now I'm paying the price;
Yet, it's hard to say who'll win at Love's game --
Fate rolls the dice!

The uncaring winds blow harshly now,
But there was a time they caressed me
As gently as love's kiss on my brow,
And O, how the  God of Love blessed me

Love's sweet offerings were mine to take,
Though at times deceit came in disguise;
But I endured it all for love's sake,
(Lover's choices are not always wise)

But those days have long since departed,
Love is but a transient memory;
By sorrow my course is now charted,
And my love-ship sails a lonely sea

Birdsong no longer delights my heart,
Children's laughter now fills me with rue;
But loneliness, being a newly-learned art,
Foretold the anguish that would ensue

Where are the dreams that once stirred in me?
Why do love poems now seem absurd?
I pray this not be my destiny . . .
Yet . . . the voice of Hope speaks not a word!

On that day he came to me
To sorrow I was bound,
Sailing without love's guiding star ---
What little joy I found

Cold and dismal was Hope's  lamp
Until he lit the flame,
What warmth and light surrounded me . . .
Then Heaven spoke my name!

Heaven heard my whispered pleas,
It saw the tears I cried,
It knew my heart's deepest desire . . .
My prayer was not denied

All my doubts  began to fade
Like dew upon the sea;
The latch was raised, the door swung wide . . .
The captive dove was free!

Free was I from doubt and gloom --
Free of fear's tyranny,
As angels strummed their golden lyres
In Divine harmony

Strange, indeed, the power of love ---
A glorious mystery!
My thankful heart will always bless
That day he came to me

A woman's forgiveness, desperately sought
By a man whose rash decision proved unwise;
But mercy's denied - there'll be no second chance.
What a sad account of love's demise!

So goes the tale of two shadows on the wall
That come to life as day draws to a close:
A remorseful man offers a woman
His atonement with a tear-stained rose

She extends her hand, but then withdraws . . .
What he reveals breaks her heart in two;
The man she loves has betrayed her trust,
He's confessed to having been untrue

Uncontrolled tears cascade down her face,
Her hands helplessly fall to her side;
His outstretched arms beg her forgiveness,
But she recoils . . . O, **** her foolish pride!

Discourse ensues amidst sobbing and tears,
Raising her arm, she gestures toward the door;
With lowered  head he reluctantly leaves,
And the tainted rose falls to the floor

There's a lesson to be learned from this tale:
At some point we're all brought to our knees,
Seeking pardon for senseless things we've done
Because of our innate frailties

So offer forgiveness when loved ones repent,
Forgive friends their insensitive rants;
And don't hesitate to forgive yourself . . .
Everyone deserves a second chance!

O, grieving heart, cheer up and sing
Though love only stayed but a short while;
Soon you'll be drinking again from love's spring,
Forgotten will be love's cunning guile

O,  abandoned heart, dry your tears,
Crying will not bring back a lost love;
But reflect on the bliss of bygone years --
Memories are gifts from Heav'n above

O, broken heart, it's time to mend,
In due time you'll come to realize
New love may be waiting around the bend --
Be alert for blessings in disguise!

O, wounded heart, don't try to fly,
Dare not venture forth on broken wings;
Though love's warm glow fails to illume your sky,
Somewhere in the dark a bird still sings

O, mortal heart, your pain will end,
And from Life's shackles you'll be set free;
So let dead love to Heaven's throne ascend . . .
For love has its own eternity

This path, overgrown with briar and brambles,
Thorns and nettles strewn in disarray;
A loathsome path of broken dreams, and yet,
Willingly I walk it each day

This path that hurts not the feet, but the heart,
Where roiling streams overflow their banks,
And burning cinders comingle with ice --
An affirmation of Life's cruel pranks!

What is it that prompts my unwavering steps?
The love that greets me at journey's end!
The ghost of a love lost so long ago
Leaps boundaries only love can transcend

What pain I endure to savor love's bliss!
On this path, blazed by temerity,
I fly past the graveyard of ill-fated  dreams
To a love that defies mortality

How weary I've grown trying to understand
Why such perfect love incurred God's wrath;
And now all that's left are the memories
That await me at the end of this path

I think I could have loved you,
O, how you stoked passion's fire!
Or was it just the madness of Spring
That kindled such wild desire?

Was my lantern's glow too faint
As our ships passed in the night?
Or perhaps Fate extinguished the flame
Before you could see its light

We may well have been lovers
If given the proper chance;
But why did the music stop playing
Before we finished our dance?