Topography of Tears

Teardrops grace the kitchen floor

Yet, she persisting all the more —

An onion, with her knife she scores,

Draws snowflakes from her eyelid’s shore

Motherhood, an empty nest,

Marriage, change of life; her quest

Grid of tears fill her hope chest

Quilt in strength, an armored vest

Laughing tears, less often found

Scattered, pool on hallowed ground

Seeds of faith buried in mounds

A respite from his absence’ sound

Silence of death where stolen life

Cuts through commune like a knife

Emptiness where grief is rife

Strips, near bare, his bereft wife

******

Author’s Note:

I was inspired to write this after seeing a miscroscopic image of dried tears.

More information in the study titled “Topography of Tears” can be found at Smithsonian Mag dot com.