The Goodbye I Never Thought I’d Say

There were still things left unsaid, laughter that hadn’t finished echoing, plans that hadn’t found their way into tomorrow. I didn’t know the last time I saw you would be the last. I didn’t know I should memorize the sound of your voice, the way your eyes softened when you looked at me, the quiet comfort of just being near you. If I had known… I would’ve held on longer. I would’ve said more. I would’ve never let go so easily. Now this goodbye lives in me not as a single moment, but as something I carry every day. Because loving you didn’t end when you left… and neither did missing you. So this goodbye… the one I never thought I’d say it isn’t really goodbye at all. It’s I love you still. I carry you always. And somehow… I’m still yours. Ann Marie