The Ghost of Another Year

A Poem

Photo by Hasan Albari: https://www.pexels.com/photo/bokeh-photography-of-lights-1141678/

goodbye, goodbye, goodbye —
that seems to be my refrain
again and again and again
as if my heart could take
any more damage

i left him behind
like a ghost or a whisper
or a trail of gossip —
but he followed me anyway
into another glimpse of time

it’s been a lifetime —
or so it feels —
since i’ve been without him,
and you would’ve thought
i would have learned my lesson

but there he sits
in a corner of my memory
as if he belongs there,
as if he owns the space,
because i’ve allowed him free reign

goodbye was never enough
for a love like him,
a kiss like his,
even though he left me
bruised and blue

i tried to drop him off
on the doorstep
of some past life,
but he always came back
like a bad habit