A Ray of Sunshine
A Poem by Shanerator
A ray of sunshine, faintest glow –
Rose up from ‘hind the hills.
Long night eclipsing high and low
Began to lose its will.
Cold darkness had for many days
Gripped every part of me.
The clouds, that day, they parted ways!
A hope t’was meant to be.
Your smile was raindrops from above:
Goodbye internal drought!
A wrecking ball; rekindled love
That shattered all my doubt.
We laughed and joked, our spirits high;
The common ground was rife!
Kindred spirits, both you and I.
Could this be us for life?
A joint desire to become friends
Was forged with our shared power.
Complete candor and no pretense
Defined that very hour.
Alas! The time came for farewell;
To me it was all fine.
Your lovely gaze assured me still
That we’d meet down the line.
That night, my sleep elusively
Was kept far from my bed.
Who cares? Your eyes conclusively
Spelled “hope.” No less was said.
A dream come true, it came to pass:
You chose to meet again!
Elected me, of the whole class –
The happiest of men.
We sat and talked in that café,
The mugs so full and warm.
Like coffee grounds, the words relayed
Were filled with vibe and charm.
The anecdotes and stories shared
Spanned our full histories!
A heart to heart; no tales were spared.
It went so blissfully.
For hours on end, our chat so sweet;
Outside, the sun had gone.
Our coffee mugs had lost their heat:
A sign of things to come.
Yes, something in our rendezvous
Began to wander off.
The chat and talk seemed more eschewed –
Just like a stifled cough.
I tried my best to hit the notes
Of our joint melody.
The song of conversation smote
My work to low degree.
The fervor in our cups brimming
Now seemed to drain again.
Instead of synchronized swimming,
I treaded water then.
We parted ways, and pulled the plug
Outside that old café.
The day had started with a hug,
And ended with a wave.
Sleep did not come to me that night.
My mind, it tried to cope.
To me, your eyes said something quite
Unlike the word of “hope.”
What did I say? What did I do?
The questions filled my brain.
Your mixed signals gave me no clue
And caused me undue strain.
The night did pass, and sun did rise.
My fears, they went away.
Perhaps I did misread your eyes;
Third time’s the charm, they say!
The days went by, a week, then two;
Of not seeing your face.
“Our paths will cross,” I said. “It’s true…
At the right time and place.”
A week became a month. I sighed.
The stars would not align.
I held onto the hope. I tried
Thinking that you were mine.
One fateful night, it fell apart.
My worst fears came to be.
A lucky man had found your heart.
A man who was not me.
The ray of sunshine that had once
Given my fields such glow…
Was now shuttered ‘hind clouds of dust;
Blurring my heart’s window.
The rainfall that had quenched my drought
No longer came from you.
Instead the downpour came about
From tears that welled and grew.
Efforts to prove my worth and wit
Were given all in vain.
What I thought was a perfect fit
Was a futile campaign.
I thought we’d go through thick and thin –
Decreed from Up Above?
What more could I have done to win
Your loyalty and love?
Frustration and a muffled cry
Took my body by force.
Outstretched on my cold bed I lied;
Let feelings run their course.
I took a breath, and sat up straight
And mulled the past few weeks.
What was the point? This is my fate.
I then dried both my cheeks.
Perhaps we were not meant to be,
No matter what I planned.
Perhaps that other man was he
Who was destined your hand!
I may not fully grasp or grip
These troubling inquiries.
And that’s okay, I’ll run the ship –
The captain of my seas.
Weather the storm, I’ll take the wheel;
Persist in searching for
A lighthouse on a beach that’s real:
A final place to moor.
Your ray of sunshine was a rope
Dropped in my hole of doubt.
Gentle reminder that there’s hope
For men who are without.
For now the long night has returned;
Sunlight masked by darkness.
But I’m at peace; for I have learned
The light’s there nonetheless.