by Debi

I wish I cried gracefully
dabbing tears softly
a quiet sniffle
a gentle sob
tear-stained pillowcases
but not me
I’m an ugly crier
a snot-stained pillowcase
or a pile of soggy Kleenex
is more my style

As ugly and snotty and noisy
as my crying may be
the grief behind it
is no less profound
than the gentlest sob
of a lovelier crier
bent gracefully
over the tear-stained pages
of an unfinished
handwritten
diary entry