Thankful For Misery

I stood in awe of the sunset Watching its rare beauty unfold, Ray by ray, heavenly hues changed From orange, to crimson, to gold I saw silhouettes of leafless trees Raising their bare arms to the sky, As if to praise some entity - - Or perhaps preparing to die For all living things must succumb Sooner or later....... it's destiny; Suddenly I saw the reason We surrender so willingly Now it was starting to make sense - The crucial role Misery plays; Might it be an act of mercy That pain and sorrow fills our days? Flora and fauna share the same fate As does every being on Earth; Predators, drought, sickness and blight Stalk us from the moment of birth Would any of us welcome Death If our domain were Paradise? How could we forsake happiness If sad tears never blurred our eyes? Knowing the anguish of loneliness..... Constant, unsubdued by time; Dour pain - mental and physical - All the while faint bells of hope chime Hope - that vain and fruitless longing That augments our pain 'til we break, Finally leaving us to welcome That impending trip we'll all take Weak and tired we concede defeat, And with our last breath we implore Death's guidance across Life's threshold, And down that divine corridor How we welcome this departure As from pain and suffering we flee; But what angst we'd feel leaving Eden....... So I'm thankful for Misery!