The Angel’s Tears

The stone angel cries
over a garden empty and barren,
but secretly at work.

The hidden flowers tremble beneath the earth,
silently anticipating summer,
anticipating the warmth of God’s summer,
of a second chance, a third,
of writing a new chapter in their journal
of rebirth.

And so you wait,
anticipating the brilliant dance,
sure of it, even now in the seasons before Spring
when the dead stalks crackle beneath your feet
like love’s corpse, cutting and sharp.

You wait,
believing the angels tears
are tears, not of sadness,
but joy.

About this Poem

Maya Angelou often wrote of the courage it takes to allow for love in our lives. It is a recurring theme in her writing. Her words have often inspired me, but never more than when she wrote of that courage, for it honored the fear, but acknowledged the possibilities and promise.

The picture was taken in the front yard of the house I used to own in Virginia, years ago.

Tom