Evolution of Tears

Once upon a time, when I was very young, I cried
I cried for neglect, I cried for being abandoned
I cried loud and long, I was inconsolable
People got angry at me for it

Then I learned to cry quietly
silent tears slid down my cheeks
I learned ways to hide the redness of my eyes
secretly sobbing in my solitude

Eventually, I stopped crying altogether
not because there was nothing more to cry about
but because there was too much, I shut down
The tears left and so did the joy,
I could no longer feel anything at all

I remained in that state for many years
One day, someone reawakened my emotions,
allowed me to feel joy again and with it a flood of tears
The flood, as floods do, carved a path of destruction in my life

I can no longer cry quietly, my eyes remain puffy and red
Loud sobs rack my body as I feel and release the sadness
but it passes quickly now, I let the tears fall freely like a passing storm
and marvel at the rainbow it leaves behind