In this intimate lyric, tears become instruments of clarity rather than sorrow. The speaker’s tears of joy act as a cleansing force, dissolving clouds of doubt and allowing him to see “the real You” for the first time—or perhaps more clearly than ever before. The poem pivots on the idea that his eyes now “mirror your inner beauty,” suggesting a reciprocal revelation: in weeping with joy, he becomes capable of reflecting back what he sees. The final stanzas elevate the beloved to singular status—no one else “conjures magic” like she does, no one else weaves “this wonder.” The closing lines trail off into reverent silence: “Only… My Lady—” The dash suggests words failing in the face of feeling, an unfinished thought that speaks louder than completion could. This is Plahm at his most distilled and direct, a love poem stripped to its essential elements.

“My Tears” demonstrates the power of restraint. At just over 20 lines, it accomplishes what many longer poems cannot: it creates a complete emotional arc—from obscured vision to clarity, from doubt to wonder—without a single wasted word. The central conceit of tears as cleansing agent is elegantly handled, avoiding sentimentality through precise language: “doubt dissolving from my eyes” is exact and visual. The poem’s strongest moment is its ending, where the trailing dash after “Only… My Lady—” enacts the speechlessness of overwhelming emotion. This is sophisticated technique disguised as simplicity. The middle section’s description of the beloved’s magic (“a spark in the quiet, whispers threading the dark—igniting the stars”) provides just enough specificity to feel personal rather than generic. If there’s a critique, it’s that the poem’s brevity means some readers may wish for more—but that wanting is perhaps the point. A small, polished gem in the collection.