I’ve said goodbye so 

many times to homes, 

to streets, to green spots 

that welcomed me on

my walks, and scenery 

that stopped me in my steps

grabbed hold of my senses

with spectacular shows 

in vibrant colours 

of flowers in bloom, 

the sun’s arch of hours

painting the sky 

and sea below.

I’ve said goodbye to hills

in sandy haze and

hills in shades of green.

Goodbye to rivers

full of life, morning rowers

stretching by

and at night happy drinkers

on a steamboat, in a pub

along the bending flow

under bridges telling stories

of other times.

Goodbye to neighbours, 

shared back gardens

where the first spring sun

can be saluted 

with a glass held high.

And so goodbye

the saddest one, 

to friends in town,

friendships made

over coffee breaks,

during children’s play,

through love of books

and shared ideas,

precious souls 

who were unknown to me 

just yesterday.

I’ll miss them all,

my friends the most, 

but also places, until 

a new urban oasis 

welcomes me, my feet 

stepping on, eager 

to know new roads;

until another view 

takes my breath 

on my walks along paths

around our new home.

And I will say hello

to people I meet, perhaps

new friends 

to miss tomorrow. 

With every move 

come moments of regret, 

of feeling alone, loath

to starting over

again, of never being 

truly home.

This sense of blue, I know 

its dark approach,

its stranglehold

reaching for my throat

its veil of dullness

covering my eyes.

It came again in recent days.

But something changed.

Something clicked and now

I have a cure.

My phone in hand, I scrolled 

the chats, I read 

the names of friends

old and new, from 

places I’ve left and 

places I’ve returned to.

And now I know, 

my many goodbyes 

are just weaves 

of gold in a tapestry 

of moments

and meetings of souls

along rivers and seas,

in the waving hills,

in the cities and homes

of temporary living 

offering connections 

that endure.

In these days 

of zoom and skype 

and chats galore 

in digital space,

friends are close, 

even if not, and when

the feeling of blue 

creeps up I can 

paint it over 

in any hue of the

vibrant colours 

of friendships I treasure.

With a push of a button 

or a click on the screen

I say hello.