Ode to Disappointment
By John Herlihy

A sweet melancholy veils the face of disappointment,
Not even tears wash away the feelings of resentment.
Hope has left the station, a train that you missed;
You had waited for something, hoping to be kissed.
Instead a piece of you robbed, ripped from the whole;
You sing inside a mournful tune to soothe the soul.
The mood lingers around, a shadow in the mind;
Hope and your self-image no longer fully aligned.
Disappointment arrives when expectations are not met;
I am a wave, exhausted on the dismal shore of regret.
The feeling is strong enough to make me want to retire,
Gone from a world that does not fulfill the simplest desire.
If all my efforts come only to grief and pain,
How can anyone expect me to remain the same.
Desert rock and bleached bone add up to fleeting air;
No need from a routine setback to fall into despair.
For now, let me enjoy the sweet sadness of melancholy;
Tomorrow, I hope to begin anew and abandon my folly.