This is a poem about moving on and letting go. It was inspired by the idea that in an attempt to start something new, you have to let go of old goodbyes. I also think that it is important to remember that in every goodbye, there is a lesson to be learned, regardless of how hard it is to accept. I wrote this a long time ago but stumbled upon it recently. As I prepare to move back to the states from Thailand, it was nice to be reminded that some of my favorite beginnings happened after my most painful endings, and that the transitions from one thing to the next aren’t always the easiest of times, but they are always the most rewarding.

"Goodbyes and Gratitude"

Two years later, a new girl sits on your bed. Her hair smells like a different kind of flower. She picks up a book sitting on your bedside; a picture falls out.

Now there are two unfinished stories resting in her lap.

She asks about the girl in the picture.

Suddenly, there are so many words waiting to jolt from your tongue.

But you don’t say them.

You don’t tell her that behind that subtle smile is a mouth that is full of forevers. That the way she held your hand made you feel like you were made of magic.

You don’t say that she was like spring, warming the 16 years of winter that rested in your bones.

All you can think of are things you shouldn’t tell the curious blue-eyed girl sitting on your bed.

So you sum up the one person who ever felt like home with an overused cliche:

“She’s just someone I used to know.”