Ode to Tears

My tears cleanse my soul
And purge away the sickness
Sanctifying my sadness
Satisfying my emptiness
Washing clean those corners
Where the dark soul-soup
Left behind the residue
Of sad days, and bad days, and mad days

My tears are not my shame
But they are my penance
They follow my failures
Like gulls follow the plough
They soothe my wounds in salt
The catharsis of my crises
The disinfectant of my mind
As ugly as misery, as beautiful as redemption

Drink a cup of weakness
Wallow in fresh humility
Every time we cry, we die
And rebuild ourselves anew
Sow your soul’s soil with salt
And from that barren earth
Arise absolved, reaffirmed,
You have washed in the blood of your soul

Reviews

[SpokenWord]

This is excellent, I have read some poems about tears before but this one is just awesome. I like how tears cleanse us of impurities and sadness allowing us to be reborn healthy and strong. I loved each verse and they all fit together naturally just like tears streaming down a face.

[Solitaireman]

This is an excellent perspective, my friend. This is not a poem about sadness. You are celebrating a renewal. I have heard when you are feeling down nothing works better than simply sitting down and having yourself a good cry. I know I feel better when I have expurged all my negativity.

[Sweet & Tender Hooligan]

A beautiful ode to tears. A part of life and human emotion that makes us human. 'The disinfectant of my mind' is such a powerful image and thought. A great start to your series I'm going to enjoy reading these.

[Labtoad]

I love your take on tears...the twist of tears being a beautiful part of growth rather than a symbol of pure sadness. Well done!

[Doug Ordunio]

Exquisite expression, beautifully stated--my sentiments exactly!

[SpitfireGrrrl]

I love this. "Sanctifying my sadness, Satisfying my emptiness". Tears washing away, and healing . Perfect.

[Truman S. Booth]

Oh, wow! This is going in my Favorites. The extensive uses of alliteration and assonance, combined with beautiful metaphors and a stirring meter, knocked me out of my chair. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry or just jump around the room, or all three. A gorgeously crafted poem with an equally powerful message. Brilliant!

[PianoandPage]

i like the metaphor of tears as the "blood of your soul".

i also like that you don't pretend that tears aren't "weakness" but that you instead focus on removing the stigma and shame associated with breaking down.

some of the lines in this read a little long but overall i found this not only well written but wise.

[aloha.]

i love how all your works are odes.
just from the title i'm drawn in!

i think my favorite line have to be "my tears are not my shame". i can relate to that a lot.

[.]

. i absolutely love this ... the composition, the rendition, and the message ... beautifully written ...