It’s a mistake to cry round tears.

Auden’s tears were round
and rolled off the deck of a ship into the sea,

which seems like such a waste – such valuable
water into water – when you can imagine

Auden’s tears would command
a very nice price today at Sotheby’s,

either alone, or at a themed auction of
tears from other notable poets.

Square tears would be preferable,
both an improvement and an advancement,

as they could be stacked like little blocks,
stored carefully in a little tearbox

with microscopic RFD tags for cataloging
the date, time, place and reason for their shedding.

Those who argue in favor of square tears
solely on the grounds that you could then

more easily string them all together
and drag them behind you

and watch them erode over time
and learn not to miss what they represented

are on the right path, but do not understand
the bedrock principles of capitalism or wealth creation,

and in their own way would be even more foolish that Auden
letting his round tears roll right into the sea,

as the collection, stringing, and erosive activities
would waste valuable time and energy

which could be put to more productive uses
that would result in tangible economic value.

In a world in which the bottom line is
the bottom line, the question is this:

Would you rather be known as
a little round-tear crybaby or a Creator of Wealth?

Clearly, there is only one sane
rational, and obvious answer.

It’s a mistake to cry round tears.

Next’s week’s poem brief: Successful Beekeepers Don’t Pay the Bills With Reverie – They Simply Purchase More Bees