- Saying Goodbye Again -

By John Herlihy

I never did think I would have to say goodbye again,

It was difficult enough the first time, way back when.

There are moments in life that tear our hearts asunder,

Moments reaching deep inside, our feelings to plunder.

There arrives a moment when we must take our leave,

Some departures we know to be final with no reprieve.

Reprieve there is when in dreams the loved one returns,

Passing years had a cooling effect, now the heart burns.

One suffers agonies of spirit when the moment arrives,

A moment with no right to be there that I truly despise.

Time can be a vicious thief that steals the lover away,

To disappear once again before I can any farewell say.

Strangers on my travels now friends gone with the wind,

Lovers who will never return after I carelessly sinned.

My father, my second heart, lying there on his death bed,

My voice could not bid farewell, I whispered it instead.

As a child, I once had a beloved dog who simply died;

How we played together, on his sweet affection I relied.

In my distant travels, I have bid many places farewell,

Cities of ancient lore where I was never meant to dwell.

Oh no, tell me it isn’t time, must I do it all over again,

Destined to remember all the things that might have been.

I know I will never get used to the act of saying goodbye,

Its sad finality, just like tearing away a piece of the sky.

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(c) John Herlihy January 2019