Those dark circles
Under his eyes
Told tales
Of suffering and pain
In days gone by.
Of the present predicament
Where life was caught
In the clutches of the past.

And then, he smiled
Something which lighted
His eyes and your heart
The glint in those eyes
Showed the perseverance
Which had rowed him across,
The hope and patience
Which in his soul he carried,
Something which in days to come
Would brighten and melt
Those dark circles.