Burden of Tears
by Jon David Metzler
May 30, 2007
It was in 1940
(or about 1940)
that Pilar De La Piedad
whispered to me softly,
"losing love
is worse than death—
in death, at least,
you're still embraced,
if only by the quiet darkness"
then turning back
from wind and wave
with the eyes of a child
and the smile of one
still dreaming, she spoke
as if from a distance
"or perhaps there exists
a loving God
and we wander home forgiven"
the day was clothed
in softness—
turquoise blue and azure
her delicate fingers
wrote sonnets
on a now-cold
cup of coffee
a gentle breeze
sighed softly,
and like a loving mother,
brushed away a strand of hair
and kissed her tear-filled eyes
it was in 1940
(or about 1940)
that I last
saw her smile
and when I close my eyes
I see her still—
on the terrace
in the sunlight
or wandering home forgiven.
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