HOLA!! Here comes yet another edited poem that didn’t make it into my new book, SALSA! THE TASTE of LIFE which will be out in a little while. I wrote this when I was going through a rough spot of feeling as if life were passing me by. I sat down and this poem just came gushing out of my pen and unto the pages of my journal. I felt so good after I finished it because I took it as God comforting me and letting me know He never forgets me. I hope this soothes you as it did me 🙂 HUGS!!!!
Your Tears
The wind howls outside,
“Won’t you let me come in?”
It beckons: “Follow me!
Girl! Get up and at ‘em!
Your life IS passing you by.”
The wind howls outside my window;
Knock, knock, a knocking on my resistance.
Whispers ever so cunningly,
“Surely there is somewhere way better.
Won’t you find out?”
The wind, it blows in my ear;
a strange lover seducing me with sweet songs:
“You are too good for this, Mujer.
You deserve BETTER.
What are you doing just giving your life away,
for the sake of others?
No one does THAT anymore!”
The wind scolds me;
I feel it, a whip stinging my raw emotions—
¡Estupida! When are you going to learn:
In this life, nice never pays!
GO! Find your way.
GO! Get your life back.
You should’ve never thrown it away, ¡Tonta!
“Be still, mi alma!”
Silence…
Uno, dos, tres…
Here comes the gentle breeze,
the one who doesn’t knock me around,
rocks me gently to and fro.
Sweet, sweet lullaby in the night;
I fall deep in a restful slumber,
only to wake up to your gentle caresses.
The lover of my soul whispering to me,
“You are my girl, the one I lose sleep over.
The one I weep for as I pick up your tears
and collect them in this flask,
and with which I bathe my face.
Your tears are the fragrance I wear.
Never stop shedding them;
I gave them as my gift, so your heart can be healed.
In my world, nothing is wasted,
Not even one single tear.”
One day I will show you
what your tears have done.
For now I will tell you,
every single tear you’ve shed,
since the day your heart broke
for the very first time.
I stored your tears in a safe place;
as a rich man hordes gold.
Your tears have set the captives free,
watered thirsty travelers.
Your tears have nourished dying souls,
and watered many gardens.
Your tears have brought conviction,
turning stony hearts into repentant souls.
Your tears have set one thousand to flight,
and dispelled irksome fears.
Your tears have turned the dry arid desert
into a beautiful oasis where many come,
from near and far, to rest,
before continuing their journey.
And your tears now fill a vast ocean
that teems with life,
because when you gave away yours,
it was so I could give you something better.
From a child they forbade you to cry,
because your tears make people feel-
something people don’t want to do anymore.
I designed you to feel…that’s why you weep,
because hard hearts are dry hearts,
who are all bitter and brittle.
“My daughter, my child,
I gave you a lamenting heart:
A fountain, a reservoir full of living water.
when you weep, my river of living waters flows,
through you…my vessel of honor.”
–EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2012
Eva Santiago 