The Tear Poem by Elizabeth Russell

A tear slowly slides down a small cheek
Pauses for a moment
Then, urged from behind
Continues its journey
The child shuffles her feet as a tear
Falls softly to the ground

The face on which it has travelled
Remains calm
Eyes bright
Pleading
Willing the onlooker to care
But no one does

She returns to the only place left where she feels safe
Where there are no expectations
No angry voices
No shattered toys
Only guilt and loneliness
Which are better – somehow

The realisation that she is all she has
Strikes – hard
Once having a pink ceramic elephant to love
And then suddenly
Not even that.
She is growing old – at six

Older now and wiser
Tears are shed alone –
Wishing only that the Medusa would appear
And turn her heart
Into stone,
Her body into unfeeling rock

She waits
In bed at night
For someone to come and care for her
Someone does
But he’s not the Medusa
And he doesn’t seem to care