DON’T STOP CRYING, BENNY

I used to not get it.

Now I do;

Life’s all about running away,

Away from our true selves,

The tenets that ceaselessly sway,

Unmasking the dirty shelves,

The secret tears,

The carefully hidden fears;

Away from overwhelming expectations,

And oftentimes,

Away from nothing in particular.

But above all,

Life is about crying,

Crying for our pains,

Crying for our gains.

I knew you would cry when I left,

I know how it must have felt,

Only that there was no other way out,

And seeing your boat being sunk by the bout,

The harsh slap of the unexpected wind,

And the endless giggles of the stormy sea,

And the fear in your eyes,

The haplessness in your sweaty brow,

As the hours trudged by,

Yet not bothering to wipe your teary face dry,

Did cast away the hidden doubt,

That you really never cared,

And that maybe I was wrong.

I might have walked away, yes,

I might have hurt you,

I might have called you names,

You might have detested those games,

But that didn’t mean I never cared,

It was the only way how

I could share my love with you!

It’s okay to cry.

Don’t stop, Benny,

Not just yet.

It makes you human again.

It surely will nurse those open wounds,

Widen the bounds,

Outwit the bait,

And perhaps make me love you more.

Just you know that even in my eternal sleep,

I can still hear you cry,

And those tears remind me of our secret feelings,

Of our murdered hopes,

Of our unfulfilled dreams,

And of the bitter truth that there would be no more tomorrow,

No more hugs,

No more smiles,

No more secrets,

But just tears,

Cries,

Tears,

And some more crying.

———–

Poem: Levi Cheruo Cheptora

Image: Pixabay.com