Buried Tears

I buried my tears, four feet deep into the earth.
Is it enough? I wondered
as I tossed the final load of dirt.
Unfortunately it wasn’t
for the springs began to rise.
I grabbed the spade beside me
And quickly dug another hole beside.

A dozen feet more
and I threw my shovel down.
It’s done, I laughed
I know they’ll never be found.
I thought I had succeeded at telling them goodbye
I didn’t even realize
I’d only believed a lie.

Those buried tears-they followed me
everywhere I went.
Their poison seeped into the well
And I swallowed their lament.
Grief and sorrow had disappeared
Replaced with new friends–
anger followed close along with fear.

Fed up, I returned to the place
Of my futile attempts at digging
And I caught sight of a Gardener
Staring at me as he was sitting.
His eyes were kind
And I felt as if they’d seen it all
As he looked deeply into mine.

He pulled me close
And with a shovel in his hand
started to unearth my tears
beneath the frozen land.
“It hurts!” I cried,
“Don’t make me see”
I had only wished they’d die.

He squeezed my fingers
And gave a nod
And continued pulling them
above the frozen sod.
And like a lamb
He cradled each tear
Against his stricken hand.

Then all at once he took the trowel
And dug a shallow grave.
He sprinkled the tears
upon the ground
and covered with the spade.
Then slowly I watched as they
pushed up above the ground.
My buried tears had transformed to seeds
and tiny leaves were now found.

The Gardener stood by my side
as we watched the great vine grow.
Delicate petals and colors bursted forth,
and I no longer felt the weight below.
Fear and bitterness fell from my eyes
and watered the vine
like rain from the skies.

My buried tears no longer hide
four feet deep beneath the ground.
For my Gardener and Savior has done something better.
He planted them-
showing me where true freedom can be found.