Suffering

When your body is thrashed and hammered
Beaten into exhaustion
Even the slightest comfort is rewarded with
still breaths and deep sighs
Suffering comes with many faces
So I can face my own impatience and learn to endure
To see the good in things I too easily take for granted
Especially those that love
Love me
Suffering turns my eyes toward love
Not just a brief glance
But a deep gaze behind the eyes
Inside the soul
To see the permanent marks
Written across the lines under the eyes
Tried and tested
Stretched and rested
Quiet
Now at peace
Suffering has done its work again
Worked its magic
Into a future hope
That shines with glory and never fades.