Where My Tears Feel Safe

they burn my eyes,
they fill and clog them,
they cover my heart,
till there is no space left.

i need to find a place,
i need to find a heart.
i could be alone though—
alone is all i could be.

but then i see you,
like you are here for me,
and your being tells me
i can be me here.

here, i find a space.
i feel a cocoon
where i can feel anything,
and i can feel the feel of nothing.

so here they go,
overflowing from my tired eyes
as i look up
and set them free.

they wet my cheeks,
drop after drop on my chin.
they jump to my neck and roll away,
so happy to be free.

my tears are safe here—
safe to be felt, wet and salty,
safe to be heard with all the sobbing,
safe to be free.

they carry deep meaning sometimes,
when meaning needs to be carried.
but when they carry nothing,
they still feel safe here, to flow out.

they know they are cared for
when they show raw hurt.
but when they show nothing,
they are cared for even more.

and why do i feel so strong
that my tears are safe here?
because sometimes felt, sometimes not—
but always, always seen
as a part of me being me.