Shed your Tatters by the River

Girl, shed your tatters by the river
but never shed a single tear.

Let them cling on to your sclera
as monsoon droplets to a mirror   

and coalesce into the stream
of your translucent dreams -

your own personal
lacus lacrimalis

-  just beneath your weary lids,
the lake where all your passions feed;

anger, fear, hatred, grief -
let them all simmer and sieve,

undisclosed, beneath your eyes,
'til all your feelings seem to phase

into one relentless sea
of compassionate placidity,

and your pure heart is moved
by stirrings of first love.

Girl, shed your tatters by the river
but never shed a single tear.