Memory

A treasured link of shining pearls,         A by-gone melody,     A shower of tears with smiles between--         And this is memory.     A thing so light a breath of air         May waft its life away;     A thing so dark that moments of pain         Seem like some endless day.     A careless word may wound the heart,         And quickly it may die;     Yet in the seas of memory         Forever it will lie.     And sometimes when the tide rolls back         Its waves of joy and pain,     That careless word, though long forgot,         Will wound the heart again.     The restless seas of memory         Are vast and deep and wide;     And every deed that we can know         Sleeps in that tireless tide.     Upon the thoughtless lives of men         Its waves in mockery roll;     And sweep a might of bitter pain         Across each human soul.     And few can stand upon the sands         Beside this boundless sea,     And say with calm unfaltering voice         "It has no grief for me."     The passing wave may bear away         Our deeds and words untrue;     Yet surely as the tide comes in         The wrecks will follow too.