The philosophy of Life

A sonnet for a contest.

Joy and sorrow hold their hands together
As we pass through a cycle eternal.
Life can be sharp thorns but not forever.
Mirth and pain stay but not perpetual.

''Life is not a bed of roses ", we say.
But as we reach at it's termination;
Our mistakes we find; the causes that lie
Behind; we learn without definition.

Flowers of bright colors in life's bouquet
Wither but their fragrance never erase.
The happiness stored in the mere casket
Of sweet memories, never we efface.

Of guilt and misdeeds we never repent,
A new conscience unfurls; lessons beget.

Prompt: Life/ Death/ Cycle
Form: Shakespearean sonnet
An entry for the Round 9 of "The Perfect Sonnet Contest"

Form: Shakespearean (English) Sonnet ~ the Shakespearean, or English sonnet is composed of three quatrains and a couplet follow this rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg. The couplet plays a pivotal role, usually arriving in the form of a conclusion, amplification, or even refutation of the previous three stanzas.