To St Augustine

"The greatest evil is physical pain."
I beg to differ with you there.
Mental pain and agony
Go beyond what eyes can see.
The greatest evil, I contend,
Is a storm-tossed soul, suspended in space.
Without love's touch no wounds can mend.
Bitterness becomes commonplace.

I've seen the pain of life's injustice,
Mangled bodies, wrought with ill.
But that which hurts even deeper still
Is abandonment and loss of will--
A will to live, which comes with loving.
Man lives to love, then learns to live.
When his storm-tossed soul finds peace within
Can he give of the fruits he has to give.

You see, my friend, it's my contention,
The greatest evil is not physical pain.
It's the pain of living without life's treasure--
A love that, through all storms, sustains,
A love that, through life's greatest trials,
Can give one hope to journey onward.
The greatest good is in the giving
Of this gift of sweet accord.