786. Upon the shards where love's lantern shone,

SONNET 786
By JH Sayyar
Upon the shards where love's lantern shone,
Now lie the echoes of a vanished flame.
Each tender vow, each whispered undertone,
Is swept away, and none but grief remain.
My chest a tomb where laughter used to dwell,
The songs we sang now drowned in silent ache.
No gentle hand remains to weave the spell
That made the soul in joy or sorrow wake.
Yet still I tread the path where we once met,
Each stone a wound, each breeze a sharp lament.
The stars look down, unmoved, with cold regret,
While dreams lie torn and time remains unspent.

But broken hearts, though bruised by cruel art,
Still beat with hope within the shadowed heart.