Goodbye in Doses

Poetry

when we say our farewells, we often don’t know

that we’re bringing an end to something that may

never happen again in our lifetimes —

because every parting is just another step towards

the inevitability that we may not meet again

or, at least, not in the same stale ways.

a kiss on the cheek, a hug squandered in moments,

the breathless moment before we depart, each going

our separate ways down the hall or street —

these are all notes to the sonata of another crossroad

edging into a one-way lane with no going back,

the strains so bittersweet in the universe.

“such sweet sorrow,” the bard said once upon a time,

back in a supposedly simpler time when every day

was a matter of survival against the odds —

against poverty, hunger, dying in a ditch, what have you,

each moment building to a final exhale that we fail

to commemorate until the body’s cold.

but today it’s just a matter of leaving and saying,

“see you soon, don’t be a stranger, keep in touch,”

all the placating we do for each other —

when, really, tomorrow is no guarantee for anyone,

especially in a world run mad, like a dog off a leash,

and even our endings pale in comparison to our lives.

Originally published at https://vocal.media.