I tried to pretend I didn’t hear it –

that decisive tone in your voice –

the one that always made things

seem so final.

As you turned to leave,

I called your name –

but you never bothered

to look back.

Alone now, in the silence

of this room, I remember dreams

from a lifetime ago –

walking alongside you up empty

staircases –

f

  a

    l

     l

      i  

       n

         g

t

  u

    m

       b

          l

            i

             n

               g

then calling your name –

frightened, hoping you’d wait –

but you always pressed forward.

It’s only now, after all these years,

that I am able to understand.

And with each tick of the clock,

I feel you slipping away, yet in

some strange way, I feel stronger…

perhaps even hopeful,

for although something

is lost, something is also

gained in these few moments –

these moments of awareness.