last goodbye (dear leo)

I am the last goodbye we never had

the first glance you take of a painting

the moment you fall asleep,

and the number of crickets outside your window.

The ringing in your ears

the smell in an old memory;

I am the hush at the end of a tape

and the silence in a crowd.

The dust in the carpet,

the lint in your pockets,

the Ice Cream Man’s vacation,

and the Businessman’s regret,

faded white-lies and last-year’s birthday wishes.

I am those you have not met

and the names of their pets

the fruit of past actions

a long deep breath,

the story in your head

after the last page has been read

I am, and always have been,

the last goodbye we never had.