Surrogates for Tears

Maybe if my eyes stay dry
My lips stop quivering
I swallow the cord
That ‘stricts my throat,
Maybe then it will not be
Reality, this “good-bye.”

“That’s a good girl,
Don’t cry.”

But what I want most is to weep.
To let it go; let the sweet
Release of tears
Ease the ache.
But years have won their way.
I have forgotten how
To let sobs voice my
Heart sounds. Its door
Craves opening.
But
It can not.

“That’s a good girl
Don’t cry.”

A parting wave,
False smile,
Some tired cliché’s
Are poor relief for sadness.
So, I weep these words
As surrogates for tears,
And pour them on this page;
Healing oil
To ease my pain at parting.