Fading Tears Poem by Elizabeth Jacqueline Mpanga

Like old, faded cloth,
my tears have lost their color.
Once sharp with sorrow,
they slip away now,
carrying with them the loose soil of pain.

I feel the heaviness lift,
slow and patient,
as though my soul has finally exhaled.
A heart once etched with bitterness,
stubborn and closed,
begins to soften,
opening like spring's first bloom,
fragile yet determined.

I stand at the threshold of newness,
ready to welcome love without fear,
to lean into the promise of tomorrow.
Hope curls inside me,
gently lighting my face,
my gaze turned forward,
no longer bound to yesterday's shadows.

The tears have faded,
leaving only a cool trace on my skin.
And at last, my lips shape a smile,
not forced, not fleeting,
but whole.

All is well,
after all.
Peace does not arrive with thunder,
but with a steady hush,
rolling in quietly,
a tide that cradles me home
to myself.