prism
one tear
drop of sadness
capsule of self pity

morsel of despair
escapes the corner of her eye
to explore her winter reddened cheek
but the swollen gravity of her heart
pulls it straight down
a small convex mirror
it rolls down over the cold
and closed pores of her cheeks

all her cells shutting it out
a reflection of her bruised soul
and crushed dreams
as well as the faces of strangers on the train
diverting their eyes
daring not to care too deeply
leaving a trail of wet hopelessness
from corner of eye to side of nose
passing down-turned corners of lips
to chin
where it finds same future

she sees before her
empty

so it breaks in two
a luxury she lacks
misery loves company
and they plunge past her neck
she swallows hard
as if to consume thick emotion

and steps out into the rain.
the tear finds company in a myriad of prisms
casting rainbows in every direction
invisible to her
who sees only gray sky, bleak future,
through dim perspective.

fresh tears, distinct by salt
but concealed by rain
reflect the world around her
as upside down as she perceives it

as if out of empathy
for her loss.
with no one to wipe them away
no one to embrace
she enters the cold church;

hard floors, rigid pews and stained glass

giving color to her pale wet cheeks
to camouflage the pain
tasted by all, but enveloping her.
He’s not there
and never again will be.
But she still must.
#funeral #death #tears #poetry #weep #anxiety #poem #pain #Depression #church