Goodbye in Doses

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.