There is no crying in poetry because poems
don’t cry for sympathy/they cry to expose the human
emotion of translation and they cry to ignite the fuel
of connection . I have had many tears in this life;
many tears I’ve found again in the fragrance of summer’s past
but I will not share these tears with sass as at last
I’ve found the reason within them to find fascination/
so as the memories of many faces I’ve lost journey this sky,
I share with you this poem cry –
I toast these tears to the simple being of life
as I’ve watched many spirits of sacrifice
rise during times when hope was low;
there were times when hunger tortured
us – but you know,
we always had that internal starvation for strength
nurturing through our bones/ enough to be freed from poverty’s greed;
I toast these tears to the discovery of childhood
as I’ve grown to appreciate the joy of innocence
created through this world’s glass eye and I
have been places where children weren’t allowed to play
because tough times had them lucky just to see another day;
I toast these tears to the memories of lives lost
but also the celebration of those same lives
who lived to bring forth a reason to be; I see
them as heroes of the soul – those who have made
my meaning complete and whole simply
by showing me the love
to challenge internal fear and rise above;
and I toast these tears to the ambiance emotion
that has been felt through the language
of a poet’s heart. My poetry cries the freedoms of life.
© 2012
Tarringo T. Vaughan
