"A River of Tears"

I cried today,
cried like I haven't done in a long time.
Tears welled up from the depths of my very being.
It was a heart-rending, soul breaking experience.

Everything I have held in, tamped down, and suppressed,
everything I have tried to ignore,
came bursting forth from the bottom of my heart and soul.

Spilling over my lashes, cascading down my face in a river of tears.

Tears fell for:
The lost.
The Brave, and the foolish.
For the patriotic and the wise.
For the ignorant, and the eager.

They fell for the reluctant,
the young and the old.
For the ones caught in the middle.

For the defenders and the aggressors.
For the guilty and for the innocent.

I cried for the echos of memories
and snapshots of yesterday.
For the glimpses of tomorrow
that are so quickly snuffed out.

I cried for fear, for hope,
for love, for hate.
For indifference, for rage,
and for sorrow.

I cried today, and something inside
of me broke free.

And, I know, there will be plenty of tears still
left to be shed
in the days, and weeks, and months,
and years
left to come.