Last goodbye

for Roger.

The bell tolls

slowly ripping apart the silence of the halls

the sound ripples

the gray pillars, the stone floor, the cold marble steps lead the way

to where, to heaven?

I can feel the barrier between worlds tearing

Like drops tearing down my face

the finality of it all is striking, as the bell slows to a whispered tone

resonating inside my chest

//

the cold outside seems appropriate, like the frigid earth around a grave

happy memories, smiling glances, slight touches

so intimate

so far away

we’re left with an aching

that feels immediate

as it does distant

groping

grasping

trying to hold on to one more moment

but you’re gone, just like youth

you’re unreachable

and filling my heart with longing.