There is a certain risk
To wear your feelings
On your sleeve.
There is the risk
Of salty tears flowing
Down your cheeks
And dropping into
Your heart.
A heart that is already
So full of sadness
That a few more tears
May make it drown.
There is the sense of
numbness when you
feel so deeply and
the words just
won’t come, and
your mind is a blank screen
Then there is the risk
Of saying words that
May bring sadness
To another and you
Wonder if there is
A hidden agenda.
Will I feel better
Saying my feelings
If it is at the
expense of another?
There is also a sense
Of wonder for others
To see those feelings resting
So comfortably on your sleeve.
There is the happy side
Of feelings that provide
Warmth to the soul
Of the observer.
The laughter, the source
Of glee that is shared
By all who are
Unable to express what’s
In their heart,
And wish they could share feelings
And perhaps one day wear
Them on their sleeves

~ Ruth Ann Berry