There is a lump in my throat today

I cannot account for, nor understand

From whence it came, only that it

Lingers there, a taste like diluted

Saltwater that seems to block much

More than my ability to explain its

Source, it seeks to somehow release me,

Blurring my vision in an effort to escape

This inarticulate lack of self-expression

By way of bitter teardrops that flow

Unseen, face cupped in trembling hands

As I give a desperate prayer that says much

More than the sum of its words, complex

In its simplicity, powerful in its sincerity,

Three short words my only salvation now

That I have learned how to say them and

Have started to listen once that prayer has

Passed my lips…

God help me.

END

“Saltwater”