When Water Weeps

April 9, 2019

Crying and Healing.  Water lets us weep.

boy crying

Crying helps our bodies clean away stress.  Our tears contain the chemicals produced by sadness or stress.

When Water Weeps

Drops
Falling
From my eyes
Flow down my face
This is how
I say
I care.

— Nancy Bo Flood from Water Runs Through This Book

Or if you are a flamingo, a whale or an Indian elephant, your tears will excrete excess salt, minerals, or oils to keep your eyes clear and your body healthy.

elephant crying

TRY THIS:

The poem “When Water Weeps” has a simple structure: the first line has one “beat,” the second line has two; the third, three; and the middle line has four beats. And then the final three lines have decreasing number of beats:  3, 2, and 1.

Water invites us to forget our worries and simply “be.”

Sen-No-Rikyu

When you hear the splash
Of water drops
Fall into the stone bowl
You will see
All the dust
Of your mind is
Washed away. 

Quote:  Robert Frost: “A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.”

Nancy Bo Flood

As a fish-brain surgeon or a rodeo poem wrangler, I have loved stories. I strongly believe that words – in poetry or prose – help heal our hearts and give us new eyes to see the world. I was first a research psychologist studying brain development at the University of Minnesota and London University before following my passion – writing for children. Learn more...