Don’t Think I Do Not Grieve

Don’t think I do not feel;
Because you see no tears.
A river rages deep inside
Of grief, and loss, and fears.

Just because I do not cry now,
Don’t think my heart’s not broken.
I keep inside the misery
Of words not to be spoken.

Sometimes I smile, or crack a joke,
So you won’t see the pain;
Or notice how my hands still shake,
Or how I’ve gone insane.

Each time I chance to think of him,
My heart is ripped asunder.
The loss I feel is mine alone--
You will not see my thunder.

~Brenda Penepent