when i was little, i used to
be afraid that if i cried too much,
i would shrivel up into nothing.
it was only in elementary school,
when i learned that human beings
are made of seventy percent water,
that i realized no one could ever
cry enough tears to leave only
a mouthful of dust behind.
no matter how much sorrow
you stirred out from under your skin,
there would always be just
enough left behind to dissolve
the next breath of oxygen.