"KENOPSIA"

I try not to experience

your loss and sadness

as everyone moved on,

or away, not staying long.

Too many statements

that begin with:

“Once upon a time…”

“This used to be…”

“Do you remember when…?”

You don’t need a time machine

to experience abandonment

and nostalgia into one.

Old pictures tell you more

a whole lot more than 1000 words.

Perhaps, opposite sides shouldn’t belong

in one era altogether.

At least, you once had your glory days

when joy was meant to stay.

Nothing lasts forever,

as cliché as that sounds.

You can see from the locks and the bolts

and the hung, CLOSED sign

and a long THANK YOU note

plastered on the dirty window.

Time to go.

No reason to stay.

No one to keep you here.

No need for these tears.

I wonder if it’s the same

after the departure or the disappearance

of ‘what’s-his-name’.

You choose to say nothing.

R.