Sonnet 25 - First Grief

Ineffable sadness suffuses me.
As days are years we had lived a long life.
How should I be happy? I am lonely,
lorn, bereft of warmth and hope. The true wife

of my heart is gone from me. Years I sought
her, shattered my soul against any shore
to reach safe haven. Through darkness, I fought
free to joy, to love, to light. She was my sure,

calm harbor – bright beacon, embracing me
with limbs fashioned just to give me shelter.
That port is closed now. Gone home to you, she
must abandon me. One night I felt her

heart beat against my breast. My one word of
truth, she left to honor earlier love.