I saw you crying on the terrace today

I saw you crying on the terrace today.
The sun, as a blonde-haired girl,
Witnessed it, too.
But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.
Of the alkalinity of your tears
That fell, soluble,
To the worries of the world.
The world cries, too,
More often than you will ever know.
It falls apart and puts itself back together,
Held with its mother’s dupatta.
It cries on trains, huddled beneath folded legs
And among crammed shoulders.
It cries to no shoulder,
No one holding it, tethered.
And that’s why it’s tilted,
Because it knows the hurt
Of standing up strong,
When leaning keeps you living.
So, it leans strong against you
And it’s a secret between you and me.
And the world.