Hello, Goodbye, and Every Moment Between

A Poem

Photo by Danie Franco on Unsplash

hello —
so easy, so simple,
just a step from stranger
to the possibility of something more

hello —
i liked the way
the word lingered on my tongue
as if my lips could shape the perfect kiss

hello —
you said it
as if it were a secret
just between the two of us

hello —
it was the beginning
leading to an ending
we could have seen coming

and i could have stopped it,
that crash before the burn,
but i wanted to know you
more than a passing phase

and we could have unraveled
from that very first moment
but we wanted to savor
seconds into infinity

but

goodbye —
so swift, so cruel,
just a leap to unknowing
every single strand we’d braided