When Forever Says Goodbye

The shattered pieces of what we were hit me

with a punch-gut magnitude, quaking through

and wrecking all the memories we left behind

when you made your way out that door.

(You were so sure it was what you wanted,

and I never saw you turn a glance back.)

Days could have passed, I don't know

(it's foggy when the love of your life

acts as if you were just a footnote

in the opening chapter of her life),

yet every day I waited for a call

just to hear your voice once more...

But you were gone, slipped away,

cleaner than a sleight of hand.

I could have asked the questions,

I could have been a nuisance,

or I could have made life harder,

enough for you to strike back

in a legal retaliation in court—

but I'm not that kind of guy.

Isn't that why you decided to stay?

When you finally reappeared on socials,

you were a different kind of wild,

and you didn't care a whit about it—

not even that you had smashed apart

a good thing while it lasted, perfect

for a twosome to take on the world.

But reaching out was a mistake

because you had already deleted me

from even the digital prints of your life.

So what do I say when I pass by

and recognize you only months later,

your hand crooked in another guy's arm

as you flash him that smile I knew so well?

You don't even carry a glimpse my way,

and I let it happen because it's enough

to see you happy after our turmoil,

no matter how much I wished

I had been the one to be your forever.

Would you like to read more poetry from me? I have plenty over on my profile page, where I also post short fiction and articles, and you can follow me over on Twitter for more creative discourse. Please leave a heart if this work somehow resonated with you; any support is much appreciated!