63) A Silent Cry

Yesterday I saw a kid cry around the corner,

Pulling at his mother's hand,

And I envied him,

Envied the ease with which he could cry,

Envied the ease with which kids can cry,

Howl, throw a tantrum,

Gasp for breath as they release more tears,

At the drop of a hat,

For any reason - big or small,

And then just as easily be comforted,

With their mother's kiss,

With their father's hug,

With a lollipop from their elder sister,

With their favourite toy,

With a swing in that garden,

With a few soothing words,

And those tears dry up just like that,

A smile slowly forms,

And soon turns into a heartfelt laugh of pleasure.


So different from now,

From the "adult" version,

Where we are knocked about as we go through life,

Taking up responsibilities,

Going through struggles,

Without that ease of or freedom to cry,

No matter what the emotion, how big the pain,

Because if we dare shed a tear we are told,

To be strong - for someone,

To be brave - tears are a sign of weakness,

To be mature, to be a man - only little girls cry

To not throw a tantrum - you are creating a scene,

Till we start believing it all,

And don't allow ourselves to cry,

Even when we are alone,

Look in the mirror and tell ourselves,

"You can't cry! You are a brave person!"


Until one day when it all gets too much,

And you can't be strong for anyone anymore,

Who will be strong for you?

All that is pent up now needs an outlet,

And then the dam finally bursts,

Sometimes in the wrong places,

But mostly in the silence of own rooms,

Comes the release of emotions,

Through the welcome flow of tears,

A silent cry for help that noone hears,

Noone but your wet, tear-stained pillow,

And YOU!

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