a bit of suffering is good
every now and again.
a reminder that our lives
are not really about us at all.

for what is a life with no pain,
or hurt, or sorrow?
could we ever be truly happy,
amid constant gratification?

such events snap us back
to a world, a reality,
where our complaints,
our worries, are trivial.

yet care must be taken,
else the darkness consumes
all that we hold dear
and good in the world.

indeed, 'tis a necessity,
and yet, so is recognition,
of how a life not spent living,
is not worthy of living at all.