Poem

i do not know the meaning of success,
for i have never tasted its fruit.
but i am all too familiar
with the bitter relish of failure,
and all its inconvenient truth.

i do not know the meaning of love,
for i have never felt its caress.
but i am no stranger to
the icy embrace of winter blues,
and its lonely notes of distress.

i do not know the meaning of happiness,
for i have never seen its radiance.
but ive grown accustomed with
my tears' solitary kiss,
as they renounce their allegiance.

i do not know the meaning of friendship,
for i have never heard its laughter.
but ive long become acquainted
to the smiles painted
on faces in this life and the hereafter.

i do not know the meaning of hope,
for i have never inhaled its aroma.
but im a seasoned veteran
when it comes to its sullen brethren,
who suffocates me with its invisible aura.

however i do know the meaning of defeat
rejection, sadness, despair and hate.
for they have accompanied me
from the very beginning,
until the day my life doth fade.