She cried a tear

She cried a tear
that landed on one of the bubbles in her bath
it floated there for a few seconds,
then slipped down the side of the bubble and into the soapy water
when the tub drained, the tear went down with the water
it flowed through the pipes
and emptied into a river
the river’s current swept it away
through calm water and swift, through warm pools and white rapids
until it eventually emptied into the sea
the tear got caught in a wave
and crashed onto the sand
to rest
until it became part of a sandcastle
it rode home on the little boy’s foot that crushed the castle
and was washed off with the hose
sitting in the sandy puddle, it evaporated up to the sky
and joined a cloud
the cloud rained it back down
and it watered a flower garden
the ground soaked up the excess, the tear among it
it traveled through the dirt
and came upon an underground spring
it grew hot, boiling and bursting up out of the ground
in a glorious geyser
only to catch a glint of the sunlight
before it latched onto the wing of a bird flying through the mist
when the bird stopped for a drink in a marble fountain,
the tear floated off into the clear pool
it drifted around gently, and was then pulled towards the center of the pool
where the pump sucked it down into the water system
it found a route to a nearby fire hydrant
and rushed towards it with great speed
it surged out of the hydrant and into the hot summer air
splashing down onto the children in the street,
whose arms waved gloriously over their heads with joy
when the spray subsided, the tear retreated to the gutter
where a miniature stream was flowing
it was carried to the sewer
then found its way into a well
and up into the faucet
someone turned on the faucet and it came out,
part landing in a cup that was set down on a table
a paintbrush dipped into the water and caught the tear
with swift, easy strokes
it joined a painting
the rest of it landed in an ice tray
it took a nap in the freezer, and was then taken out
and tossed into a glass of water
as she drank the glass of water, the ice melted
and
she cried a tear...

Copyright Mallery September 2002