The Poet Explains His Poem, Your Tears Are Not In Vain.

Is there any good in crying, or is it all meaningless grief?

This is an exceptional special poem, and even though it is short and seems dark at first, it points to deep and hopeful meaning in our times of sorrow.

This poem is from the book of poems of comfort and hope titled BEYOND THESE DARK LANDS ARE EDGES OF JOY. 

You can order your copy directly from the printer and receive the wholesale price. CLICK HERE. 

TITLE
The title of this poem is in two parts, like all of my poems in this collection. It begins by acknowledging that we have sorrow and tears. It further points out that there is a purpose in our grief and sorrow. The second part of the title is A Poem of Divine Virtue, and of course, the Divine refers to God. The Virtue brings us to think of the good He does.

STRUCTURE
It is a short poem since it is 15 lines long. The lines form only four sentences. Each line is six syllables except for the last one, which uses five syllables for impact.

MEANING

Illustration for the Poem,
Your Tears are Not in Vain,
From Beyond These Dark Lands
Are Edges of Joy
By A.E. Dozat © 2018

The title gives away the meaning. But the poem develops the point with several provocative statements that define God's purpose for our tears.
The opening line challenges the common belief that sorrow is meaningless,
"Tears are a gift from God:"
Line four presents the idea that our time of sorrow is not permanent and has an end,
"For once your tears are spent
And your grieving is done..."
Then we are lead to an image in lines six through eight of becoming free from the things that grief brings to hold us back.
Line 10 begins the conclusion,
"God gave tears to teach us,
They instruct us in hope."
Lines 13 through 15 speak of the ultimate hope in God.
Truly, it says a lot in a few words.


ILLUSTRATION
The illustration for this poem is a pen drawing of a path disappearing into the distance. For a twist, the road is made not earth but flowers.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
The scripture footnote to the page is, "Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them." Psalm 126:6, NIV

This poem gives hope to those who are going through loss and suffering. It says there is meaning to our tears, and tears teach truths that only those who suffer can know.  You may find it on page 19 of the book, Beyond These Dark Lands Are Edges of Joy Words of comfort and Hope, to read the poem.

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YOUR TEARS ARE NOT VAIN,

A Poem of Divine Virtue

Tears are a gift from God;

They come not from weakness

But from a soul in growth.

For once your tears are spent

And your grieving is done 

Then you are ready to walk

From the cold black shackles

Whose chains bind our hearts

And keep them earthbound.

God gave tears to teach us. 

They instruct us in hope.

For surely those who weep

Are the ones who know that

Resurrection cannot

Come without a tomb.

© A.E. Dozat 8/13/18

To order copies of this book, you can do so directly from the printer and receive the wholesale price. CLICK HERE.