Absence makes the heart grow fonder....

Does absence  make the heart grow fonder,
Or is it only true for those who wander
Leaving loved ones tied to burdens left behind?
With all responsibility declined
Perhaps a simple change of scene
Makes a traveling heart serene.


Not so the loved one left without
With bitterness there is no doubt
It colors even charming thoughts a darker hue
From sunny yellow to a somber blue
And turns the sweet wine of remembrance
Into loves pale resemblance.

Whether it is nobler

Do I feel noble when I suffer
Or do I really need a buffer?
Slings and arrows. yours or theirs, can hurt
And fortune absolutely doesn't care.
Does it serve to make me tougher
Or does anguish make me rougher?
Should I consider wearing a hair-shirt?
And tumble in the trough of deep despair?
Flagellation self-inflicted
Reeks of one's own soul conflicted.
The words I know are only sharp and curt.
There is no sympathetic ear to spare.