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The Lark

The Lark shares fictional short stories and poetry

Member-only story

POETRY

A Permanent Loss of Happiness

There are disappointments which wring us and there are those which inflict a wound whose mark we bear to our graves — Thomas Hardy

Jul 17, 2026

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Photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash

Upon this beach of stones, sand, and shells
Come with me! See the image of the rolling sea.
This newfound land grounded by the tides,
These wide expanses framed by cliffs of sky
On the windward side, the mere placidity of day.
Trilobites embedded beneath my feet
Quartz and Muscovite glitter in the granite
The wind and the waves have had their time
To form sea views, sculpt’d rocks, caves.
Time grinds the face of all mankind
Time wears the skin thin and haggard
Sea views, undulations, hidden rocks, caves
Reveal a landscape composed of: dreams, desires, memories,
The holy trinity of centuries.

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John E Marks
John E Marks

Written by John E Marks

Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood. T. S. Eliot

The Lark
The Lark

Published in The Lark

The Lark shares fictional short stories and poetry