When Children Cry
By John Herlihy

Sometimes, a dark cloud appears,
A piece of harsh reality enters into time,
Whose vague shadow enters into the mind,
A perceived misery is suddenly born,
Pieces of the heart now suddenly torn.

When children cry, they keep on crying,
As if their happiness seems forever dying.
As if their little world will never ever end,
As if they don’t know how to stop the flood,
As if they have already given up and let go.

Then the sadness is gone,
Drowned somehow in the river of tears.
The salty, briny drops have splashed down,
They cannot stop as they continue to frown.
Their faces puckered, their eyes lowered,
The sadness of the world lies at their feet.

The crying is over but the tears still flow;
They heave themselves and shudder, ready to go.
They feel better, they sigh, and they feel strong;
A life runs through them that can do no wrong.
For now, they are ready for another new day;
In crying out their misery, it has simply gone away.