The Pearls of Pain

Brought forward, at times, by deep anguish,

Or well up I do in moments of joy.

I make my way in the most heartfelt hug,

And present myself in that aching goodbye.

*****

Sheepishly do I surface at the brim,

Treacherously does my head dangle.

The heaviness within bears me down,

Briefly in the whiskered parapet I entangle.

*****

Downwards I glide before I know,

Daintily meandering the gentle cheek.

With a moment’s pause I fling myself,

My friend, I aren’t a mark of the weak.

*****

I look back up in the midst of my fall,

I see it, my coterie, come along.

We touch the ground before we know,

The downpour turns into an eerie song.

*****

Motionless, I sit here in silent consent,

As others of my kind join me.

Our heads bowed in gloom, and backs bent,

Under the weight of silent melancholy.

*****

At times heartless feet trample me,

Sometimes I splutter on the earth’s rusty face.

Frequently, I am met with a remorseless shrug,

At times, spurned with pitiless disgrace.

*****

Yet, on occasion, there’s a palm outstretched,

That ensconces me in its soothing grip.

Those hands, I tell you, are for the keeps,

Hark! Hold on, and let them not slip.