This poem appears in the beginning of A Family Gathering. It is in the voice of a young woman whom we meet in the beginning of A Family Gathering, as a 12 year old girl whose world is turned upside down. Two decades later, the words are a declaration, an anthem, her words of comfort to the young girl who is not gone, but who still lives within her.
I Weep No More
©2006-2016 Gene Cartwright
Audio Excerpt
I weep no more.
Well of tears—bone dry,
bed of thorns now lies empty,
absent my presence, waiting, hoping, expecting,
foretelling my return to its piercing embrace.
But I have moved on.
I weep no more.
Wall of fear—once stone,
blown asunder, now gone forever,
reduced to dust, crumbled, shambled,
unable to thwart my will, nor prevent my escape.
‘Cause I have moved on.
I once longed for the serenity of death, the solitude of nonexistence,
the eternal peace of unbeing—as in never having been. But no more.
I once sought the tomb of a mindless darkness, unacquainted with
the informing nature of memory, or the gift of light. But no more.
I have found my voice, heard my song, seen my spirit leap
like a geyser toward heaven. And I have moved on.
I weep no more.
Well of tears—bone dry,
bed of thorns now lies empty,
craving my presence, waiting, hoping, expecting,
predicting my relapse to its cruel embrace.
But I have moved on.
I weep no more.
Wall of fear—once stone,
blown asunder, now gone forever,
reduced to dust, crumbled, shambled,
unable to shunt my will, nor stay my escape.
‘Cause I have moved on.
I weep no more,
’Cept for joy, aloud I cry,
now yearning to be, to live, not die.
Now cleansed of shame, I weep no more.
My soul is free. I weep no more.
My soul is free. I weep no more!
