The uses of sorrow

What are the uses of sorrow you say?

It just makes you sad, it can ruin your day.

It makes things seem gloomy, it makes you feel blue

As if your problems are many and your pleasures are few.

 

It can fill you with heartache and pain and despair

Till you feel not a soul in the world may care

It’s a realm of suffering and anguish and woe

Of feeling battered and fretful and low.

Until such is the level of disquiet and strain

That you wonder if you’ll ever feel better again…

 

But then one day, perhaps as if by surprise

You realise this trial of disproportionate size

Has begun to recede, to abate, to retreat

And you may just have accomplished an immeasurable feat.

 

That day after day of carrying on

Of hanging in there, staying afloat, pressing on

That unwittingly indeed and despite your worst fear

You have in fact learned to endure, persevere.

To face the problem, struggle through, quietly resist

Till you grapple the pain, countervail and persist.

 

And as things finally take an uphill turn

With a jolt of astonishment, you take stock and discern

That the problems in life, the bad news, the big blows

Actually strengthen us more than we know.

 

That however unpleasant, distressing and dire

They sharpen qualities really quite hard to acquire

Ones which mould us, enhance and amend

Which will enable us wisdom and comfort to lend.

 

And the result of our sorrow, that unwanted gift

Will be virtues which nourish, embolden, uplift

So, the next time we receive a box full of trials,

Let us reserve the tiniest of smiles

And remember the fact that this source of displeasure

May reveal yet another unperceived treasure.

Reviews

[Pooja Chintamani]

Last line catched by mind so beautiful treasure the after d long displeasure... reserving the tiniest of smiles after crossing pain for miles so true..