Goodbye Kisses

I said goodbye to my man children after the holiday.  One left in a car, one on a plane.  As they left, this poem I wrote in 2015 was resurrected in my mind.

It never seems there’s time enough

To get past all the surface stuff

We fit in all the pleasant things

That living distant always brings

 

We don’t  intend to leave it out

Sharing hearts; relieving doubts

But busy lives and things of fun

Keep us ever on the run

 

We know we’re loved, most certainly

Our lives are tied intrinsically

But time for talk seems hard to find

Departure now, is so unkind

 

We hesitate, we sit and wait

But time is short, it’s getting late

Driveway hugs, our last goodbye

Swallow hard, try not to cry

 

Loves rope tied to parting hearts

Vision blurred; teardrops start

Out of sight, mile one

Rope is snapped, my heart undone

 

Goodbye kisses; on their way

So much more I want to say

Wishing I could take back time

And keep my treasures only mine

 

In the house, up the stairs

Sheets to wash, no child there

A fragrance in the pillow case

Close your eyes, see a face

 

Your child’s heart can never glean

The deepest love that isn’t seen

His “parent eyes” are gently veiled

His children come, then veiling fails

 

And what I give to those I’ll miss,

A driveway hug and goodbye kiss,

Doesn’t fill the gap I feel

As distance grows with spinning wheels…

 

…It never seems there’s time enough

To close the gap with words of love

But packed inside the goodbye kiss

Is deepest love for treasures missed