Unaccounted Goodbyes

For you didn't know you were leaving something behind.

Maybe because you never thought it would be the last time you saw it,

Or because you never thought you were losing it.

i) I remember the small places I crossed before I eventually reached my destination,

The ones I didn't stop to explore,

For there were just some places on the map,

I needed to pass through to meet you.

Would I still be on my way if I stopped under that Banyan tree's shade to just breathe in the air,

Or something in the air would make me stay.

Now, I'll never know for I never stopped,

But, that's a goodbye that went unaccounted for.

ii) I remember the last time I saw you,

It would be the last, I never knew,

But, somehow it just happens, you know,

The way we get lost in life and move on from one place to somewhere new.

So, I wonder if you still think about me when you go for your walks,

And wonder if you'll see me again straight out of your thought.

Now, I'll never know for I don't walk that way.

But, that's a goodbye that went unaccounted for.

iii) I remember the last time I sent you a letter,

And waited for months to get a reply,

But, somehow I think you forgot to give me your new address when you said your old place goodbye.

So, my letters sit unopened, unread and untouched at your verandah,

And I keep wondering where did you go that I couldn't come along.

Maybe you didn't want to answer to the questions I asked you in the letter,

Now, though, I'll never know,

But, that's a goodbye that went unaccounted for.

illustration by an artist names ottokim ✨