Tears that fall
become a river
which flows ever forward.
To flood
the fertile soil
at water’s edge.
And soak the thirsty
parched earth
with its rivulets.
Tears that fall
become a sea
upon which we surface.
To breathe
upon the wide
expansive waters.
To see
the new breadth
from a cleansed perspective.
To rest
upon the bark
that always carries us.
And to feel the sun,
new again,
upon cleansed skin.
Just as our world,
showered upon,
appears the cleaner, so we
with tears
are washed afresh
to see with extra clarity.
Yes, tears that fall
become a river
to forever buoy us up.
Never fear
the pain or grief
that draws them to emerge.
Let them
but seep
into the thirsty earth.
Ana Lisa de Jong
December 2017
Living Tree Poetry 