An Abundance of Tears

From an article on crying, I learn
that crying has health benefits
I am drawn to such information
as I am a world class crybaby

Show me a returning dad in uniform
surprising his seven year old child
at a school assembly, or a little
boy getting the puppy he longed for
as a birthday gift. Let me hear a ravishing
glissando on the piano and I will weep

Bring me your special needs prom queens
poignant episodes of Downton Abbey
a gaunt animal rescued by kind strangers
a soprano aria spun like liquid silver
and a lump will rise in my throat
My eyes burn, my vision blurs

Based on a careful reading of the essay
I am pleased to learn that crying soothes
relieves pain, releases hormones
that enhance mood, calms stress
fights bacteria in the eye, and
improves vision by keeping the eyes moist

So, bring on the last three up-lifting minutes
of David Muir's evening newscast
showing an eight year old selling lemonade
to help buy a wheelchair for his friend
or 94 year old President Carter with a black eye
stitches on his forehead, smiling, hammer in hand
building houses for Habitat for Humanity
one day after falling at his home in Georgia
Show me anything like that, and spontaneously
I do my level best to maintain my health!