A Sonnet To Sadness

The ancient anguish of a hurting heart Bequeaths no beauteous scene to me today. It’s just a jagged chasm gashed apart, A stream with boulders strewn in disarray. Like rusted leaves that bleakly canvas fall Or barren trees that bear the winter snow, Its listlessness conceals a stonework wall That bars the beggar from his bungalow. A long-abandoned barn where pigeons flock Beside three worn-out crosses marking graves, It’s lonely as a lighthouse on a rock Forever battered by the crashing waves. Their ceaseless song may soothe a sleepless soul, But how, I sigh, can sad be beautiful? --- Date Written: January 3, 2019 Contest: Beautiful Sadness, sponsored by John Hamilton