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SEAGULLS
AND TEARS
I sat on the wet sand at the seaside, so that only the ocean could see my
sadness. The beach was deserted, the salted wind caressed my cheeks, drying my
bitter tears of loneliness. I sat like this for a long time, thinking that my
bitter tears had driven away every living creature around. Only the sea
witnessed my immense sadness. I brought my despair to her, like always, to swing
it in her waves, the steady, peaceful crashing waves, until it fell asleep
within me, into oblivion. Then I would feel no pain for a time, no loneliness...
Suddenly, a rustle startled me and I
fought my way up through the gloom of my thoughts and the despair of my
feelings. Suddenly, I was not alone any longer. A seagull was slowly coming
towards me, seeming to search some food among the dead shells. He stopped next
to me and for one moment we looked at each other in silence. I was expecting him
to fly away, frightened by my teary eyes, but he came a step closer to me,
unafraid.
Then I asked him: "Why don't
you run away? My sadness has scared all the creatures of the earth from here and
from everywhere I look. The shells have closed inside themselves and the sea
birds, with translucent slumber, have flown away frightened. Even the sea, if
she had been able to, would have gone from this place. My tears have chased away
every living creature. Why are you not afraid of tears? "
The seagull answered me: "Because
tears don't last. Once they reach here, by the sea, they disappear like they
have never existed. Nobody remembers them any longer. The good sea embraces all
sadness, caresses the weary and the broken against her chest and brings them
back to the shore, replacing the heavy-hearted with her song of love and
eternity. The same will happen to you. You only have to look around and you will
find it."
The seagull lifted his wings and flew
away over my shoulder. I wanted to call him back, to ask him to stay with me a
little longer. I wanted to ask him to caress away my teary loneliness. I wanted
to beg him to stay, not to go away, not yet. But as soon as I turned my head
over my shoulder to plead with him, I understood he had been right.
There, on the other side of the
tracks that he had left in the sand, two eyes were watching me. The bitterness
of my tears was slowly disappearing, taking on the sweetness of the happy tears
of love.
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Romanian
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