Late Awakening {Quatern}

"Happiness only real when shared."
He softly sketched between the lines
Hoping someday someone would find
The shards of truth he's left behind.

Through winter lived, but summer killed,
"Happiness only real when shared."
For this part he was unprepared.
Seasonal conflict has declared

What nature provides, hands do lack,
Two arms once seemed a living snare,
"Happiness only real when shared."
Now knowing what time cannot spare.

Still no regrets linger with him,
He sees the times where he had erred,
As a chance to say what he dared:
"Happiness only real when shared."

October 20th 2008
(c) Novalyn Grace RRL

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A Quatern is a sixteen line French form composed of four quatrains. It has a refrain that is in a different place in each quatrain. The first line of stanza one is the second line of stanza two, third line of stanza three, and fourth line of stanza four. A quatern has eight syllables per line. It does not have to be iambic or follow a set rhyme scheme.