Running Down the Cheek

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"Running Down the Cheek"
(01/30/02 - age 18)
         There is a world in every tear cried. If someone looks hard enough and cares enough, he or she will be able to see what is contained within each tiny tear drop. Now, I’ll be taking a journey to the tears shed by my kind yet burdened friend, Erika.

~2~

         In the crystalline pearl of water falling from Erika’s left eye, I first notice that it’s a swirling mass of confusion. It doesn’t seem like anything is going on except for the chaos all around. I realize the confusion in the teardrop mirrors the confusion in Erika’s life. She’s lost from taking a wrong turn while out on a run. She’s torn between self-nurturing and self-abuse, having a constant deafening shouting match taking over all of her life.

~3~

         Now that I realize what is going on, I am able to see through the swirling fog of confusion and see a girl standing in its midst, who cannot turn up her lips to smile. She is scared and defeated because she sees other people suffering and wanting to give up. The scared girl doesn’t know what to do, and neither do I. I continue on. I want to know more about Erika.

~4~

         Out of the corner of my eye, I see a large building with a bell up top. Around the building is an array of female college students. Even so, one student is left out and lonely, appearing as though she wished she wasn’t around so many people.

~5~

         I hear a disproportionate amount of them talking about how much weight they've lost and how much they didn’t eat. I see a girl from Korea named Jin. We get to talking, and she keeps telling me about how she is annoyed by her roommate, Erika. A large number of tears have fought through Erika’s great resistance and slid down her cheeks about the situation with Jin.

~6~

         Inside the school building, tests are haphazardly dispersed throughout. Various dates are written all over the place next to descriptions of what is to be completed by that date. Covering everything is a pink cloud of stress and high expectations.

~7~

         Moving on past the school building, I notice a black cape, threatening to suffocate a brunette teenager. A single word is stitched into the cape. “Sadness,” it reads. This darkness of sadness is more than the teenager can handle since she is still getting used to allowing herself to feel intense painful emotions. I try to move the cape of sadness away from her, but I’m powerless against its force. I realize that I can’t change the events in the teardrop, but can help Erika in various situations in her life.

~8~

         Just as I was about to leave the angst-filled teardrop and return to my regular realm of existence, I noticed a small ash-colored door to my right. I quietly walk over to it. I use all of the strength I can conjure up to move the door at all. In the little door, is a heavily-jeweled magic wand of hope. The tears contain hope that things will improve. They are an affirmation to herself that she will not give up on life. Since hope is so important, it’s heavily protected to keep its spirit alive.

~9~

         I’ve seen all that’s hurting the precious, fragile soul of my dearest friend, Erika. So, I depart the small world enclosed in Erika’s tear. Now, though, I am confident that I’ll be able to help her through all that seems to be impossible to live through and all that is defeating Erika’s spirit and strength.

~10~

*****Included in the 2002 edition of Labyrinth, my high school's literary magazine.*****

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