There’s a place in this night where my
Brave face melts.
And though it wrenches my heart,
I would go there every night
And say goodbye again
Because goodbye is at least something.
I travel there without a map or compass
To find my way back.
Tears navigate me through this wilderness
And I trust that they will return me
Safely home in the morning.
We have an understanding, the tears and I.
This is where I let them have their run.
Somewhere in between sleep and wakefulness
I let them find me
And irrigate the places
That daylight dries up.
They flow over chipper assurances
And forced grins.
I let them erode feigned strength
And crumble got-it-togetherness.
I would go there every night
And let these tears wash over me.
To remove the cheap perfume
Of the word “fine” and the gaudy glitter
Of a best face forward.
I’d rather weather my skin under this storm
Than be smooth-faced and vacant-eyed
Though it wrenches my heart,
I would go there every night
To be distressed and relieved both at once
Mysteriously grasping something
Too complex for words but not for tears;
That one can see most clearly when their vision blurs.
