Don’t wipe your tears away,
don’t smother them with tissues,
let them streak
and splash
and sparkle in the sun.
Wear your tears like jewels.
And don’t try to blink your tears away,
let them sit in your eyes
and you will see the world
as if hovering beneath the ocean.
Just let your tears spill out naturally,
waterfalling down your face
until they lap the shores of your lips.
Then let your tongue extend
like the tentacle of an octopus
to taste this tear
and yes – you will taste
the ocean.
These tiny salt-water pools
on the foreshore of your face
provide a buoyancy...
You won’t sink.
You won’t drown.
These tears
will keep you afloat.
