The robin hops across the lawn,
Flitting here, then there, now gone.
He reappears without a care,
Of any heartache unaware.
I laugh to see his wing take flight
As he soars off into the light.
What would the world appear to be
Without life’s pain, completely free?
What would I give to be a bird,
Responsibility unheard,
To fly among the clouds at will,
To spend my days in happy trill.
But without agony in life,
Or duty, error, guilt and strife,
Something crucial would be lost;
It never could be worth the cost.
Humanity means joy and pain,
And life depends on sun and rain.
Without a depth of hurt tonight,
I could not dance when it is light.
