Tears of Melancholic Glee
The lost child crying,
Crying, crying. Even so . . .
Catching the fireflies.
~ Ryusui
The twilight darkens like a threat. The boy
Wipes eyes and suddenly he sees a flash
Which floats across the air. It’s like a toy
That he has dreamed of, so he makes a dash
For happiness but cannot stop the tears.
He’s so entranced because of hovering green
He cannot even think to change his gears
Of feelings. Reaching, crying, through the scene
He tries to hold to grieving and to hope,
The palest, flickering hope . . . and yet stay sad.
Because he lives in boyhood, he can cope
With contradictions. He is gloomed and glad.
The paradox is far too fretful for
Him, so he turns his sorrow into soar.
~ Phillip Whidden