“lacrimae rerum, “ (the tears of things)
…………………………………. —Virgil
Everything Cries
steel’s tears are rust,
trees weep tears of falling leaves,
clouds weep and mourn their loss
sacrificing their billows to the earth as rain,
the earth weeps its carbon into sky,
the sun weeps its energy into earth
and will die someday of the loss,
even stones weep, sobbing their very selves
by force of wind and rain into talus slopes and sand,
their hard tears roll down a mountain’s breast,
on cool mornings rivers weep their mists into atmosphere
joining sun’s tears in a symphony of sight,
the shifting colors of tears, and my eyes well up,
a spontaneous flood comes and joins with
all the salty tears of things
Jim Culleny
10/8/22