Pain and Happiness
(Fredrick Douglass)

The up and down of life
seems always on the down
but the subtle meaning of strife
is but on a merry go-round.

Unnoticed we grow complacent
in our self-jading distant view
of happy lives in mellow reticence.
What is to bring us back anew?

The clairvoiant jolt of simple pain
drops s back in shock
to realize life's power to main
and sit quickly back to mock.

Out with the bad, in with the new:
now we appreciate and escape the largess
of bloated happiness and life untrue...
Without struggle there is no progress.

Back to writing page

Back to Sean's Homepage

Sean's Website - 06/28/97 09:27 PM