Men in our family rarely produce tears
of sorrow or pain or joy. Stoic, we
stood at gravesides. Seemingly unmoved
we watched our daughters wed. Putting
mother in the nursing home brought only
stern commands to the staff.
But today it all felt so heavy on me.
All the recently dead and the dead from long
ago. Babies born and held for the first time.
Graduations and weddings and awards assemblies
where parents and grandparents of less stern stuff
wept freely and without shame. All those missed
opportunities for tears that might have felt so good.
My eyes may have burned some, but they were dry.
And it was all too heavy on me today. Jesus, I wept.
jim bourey
jim bourey, one of my favorite poets, has graciously given me permission to share "Men's Tears" with you from Currents: Selected Poetry and Prose from the 2014 Cape Henlopen Retreat Writers. His chapbook, Silence, Interrupted, published by the Broadkill Press, was awarded Best Book of Verse 2015 by the Delaware Press Association.
Photo by Bruno Aguirre on Unsplash
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