By Anila Paul C
Tears break through, drop by drop
filling up my hidden canal
without a sound —
until every corner’s brimming.
They reach up toward my nasal shores
making them tremble —
building up behind my lips,
holding back what’s surging up.
Pressure climbs —
warmth, rush —
until I can’t keep it in.
The dam breaks —
shutters fly open,
and everything spills…
Heavy downpour —
stream turning into a wild river —
thunder rumbling in my ribs,
snot, dirt, silt washing away
sediment I kept locked up —
weight I kept buried deep.
When I think of her endless nights,
a knot forms in mine —
powerless to ease her load,
I break a little more.
A corner of my own strength falls away,
and yet we stood together.
Silence heavy as stone —
filling up every crack, every corner.
It comes and then leaves,
but the shadow of its return
always lingers in the dark.
Struggles within,
dark places they lead her to,
vulnerability they unveil —
they aren’t hers to bear alone.
I let her know I’m there
to hold her close,
even if it cuts me, too.
After a good cry,
I feel lighter —
but I know the vessel is slowly filling again,
until flood finds its way,
until I let it flow once more.
Tears pool together as a single sea,
and in its depth I see how weary I am —
each ripple tearing me further.
Across its surface, a mirror forms
rippled by each new drop —
revealing the weight of my sorrow.
The rush breaks through, drop by drop —
and I let it —
until I can breathe,
until I can be —
calm, clear, a little more free.
A lovely read
❤️