One Million Tears

One Million Tears

I keep all my tears in a bucket
Tucked deep beneath my bed
And when the world gets messy
I count them in my head

A tear for Grandpa Clarence
Who couldn’t remember a soul
A tear for Grandma Delores
Who nothing could console

A tear for Daddy Joseph
Who dreams of Vietnam
A tear for Momma Kathy
Who sits with her dying Mom

A tear for all those firemen
Who gave their lives that day
A tear for the homeless beggar
As the cops send him on his way

A tear for Private Ryan
When I watch as Tom Hanks dies
A tear for Gilbert Grape
When I watch as his Momma cries

A tear for Elvis Priestly
King of Rock and Roll
A tear for John McCain
Who never made the poll

A tear for broken dishes
I dropped onto the floor
A tear for the empty cereal box
I’d really wanted more

A tear for early spring days
That melt all my snowmen
A tear for the spilt milk
Wait…why am I crying again?

Some things deserve these tears
Others they do not
So maybe I should empty the bucket
And start building a new pot

But how can I decide
Why these tears should fall
So instead of caring too much
I’ll stop caring at all.