The Hardest Goodbye

It’s hardest, not when doors are closed

Or footsteps fade along the hall,

But when the heart, in silence, knows

You’re present, yet not here at all.

I reach for you in empty space,

Your eyes a thousand miles away,

A stranger’s mask upon your face

The warmth we shared has gone astray.

We speak in words that barely land,

Like autumn leaves in restless air,

I try to hold your fading hand

But find there’s nothing solid there.

The laughter that once filled the room

Now echoes off these barren walls,

The light that chased away the gloom

Has dimmed and flickers, then it stalls.

I grieve for what we used to be,

For memories that haunt my mind,

For all the ways you looked at me

When love was gentle, true, and kind.

But now your gaze is far and cold,

Your heart a locked and distant shore,

And though I ache to break the mold,

I know I can’t reach you anymore.

The hardest part is saying bye

To someone who is still around,

To watch the love between us die

Without a single parting sound.

I gather pieces of the past

A smile, a song, a whispered name

And hold them close, as if they’ll last,

But nothing now remains the same.

I wish that you would turn and see

The tears I hide behind my eyes,

The silent plea, the desperate plea,

The longing wrapped in sad goodbyes.

But you are gone, though standing near,

A ghost that lingers in the light,

And so I face my deepest fear

To let you go into the night.

I say goodbye in measured ways:

In quiet mornings, empty chairs,

In memories that gently blaze

And vanish as I climb the stairs.

I say goodbye with trembling lips,

With words I’ll never get to speak,

With hope that slowly, softly slips

Away each day, each lonely week.

Yet in this pain, I find release,

A fragile strength to carry on,

For even love must find its peace

When what we cherished now is gone.

So here’s my parting, bittersweet,

A farewell sung in silent tears

I’ll hold your memory, discreet,

And wish you well across the years.

For though you’re gone in every way

That truly matters, truly counts,

I’ll let you go, I’ll find my day,

And love myself in larger amounts.

Goodbye, my dear, though you remain

A shadow drifting through my mind

I’ll walk ahead, embrace the pain,

And leave your distant heart behind.