Measure Of Love

A flood of tears escaped to trace
a mascara path
upon my face, revealing bitterness and pain.
I thought I'd never smile again.

A vicious blow, contrived by fate,
dared to test my love,
my hate by shattering the short life we shared.
Are tears the measure of how much we cared?

Of course they are. But something more
are memories
we neatly store in readiness to dispel the pain.
Because of them I smile again.