Departure Minus Arrival

One woman had been in my life—even in my neighborhood—for a very long time. Many times we, or at least I, thought the future held our hearts bound, yet each time it was mine left unbound and alone... including this most recent instance in which she’s simply pulled up all stakes and physically disappeared without so much as a goodbye. One woman had just recently entered my life, and so much promise in my eyes will always prompt me to exercise patience and understanding as we orbit around each other’s habits and styles, but there is only so much trying a man can exert without a few minutes of breath or sight or sound before he has to throw in the towel. And, so… a new poem.

For days or years,

You’ve felt eternally here.

Whether I knew you

Or just met you…

The old you and the new you,

Now both gone.

I’ve denied it for too long—

Intent on the possibility of us.

Be that for the first time,

Or again.

To believe in the new you

That never arrived.

Or the old you

That never returned.

In your absence twice

There is no choice,

Not to leave or arrive,

Just let go.