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.