Spectrum Poem by Thea Pound

Let me know suffering, as I have known love.
Let me know ceaseless, aching pain,
Smouldering desire that cannot be sated,
Emptiness that cannot be filled.
Let me know sorrow that no joy can lift,
Taste salted, bitter tears,
Be swept away in foul decadence.
Let me know sensations I cannot name,
Emotions never experienced before,
Rapturous ecstasy from despair,
And hopeless affliction from pleasure.
May I delight in disenchantment.
May I scorn at consuming bliss.
May I recognise the vile beauty in conflicting balance.
May I be engulfed in my paradoxical nature,
And through embracing the spectrum, become human.