It takes only a minute or two

After finishing his rounds of goodbyes, In his last stop,

Familiar arms quickly wrap around me.

The brief moment of warmth is tainted,

With the frozen undertone of the love.

The hug is not of remorse,

It is not an apology,

It is not congratulations,

It is acknowledgment.

He is not sorry for his departure

And why should he be?

He is leaving a place of hurt

A place that was never his own.

He is replacing it with excitement.

A new home of adventure, opportunity.

If he finds something better,

It is only reasonable for him to go.

I feel almost guilty for wanting

Wanting to have him stay.

All my selfishness is doing

Is holding him back.

But sometimes to move on,

You must leave something

Or someone behind.

I assumed that after being the someone

On more than one occasion

It wouldn’t sting as much.

The quick flash of now unbridled love

Is gone,

His last words of goodbye pass his lips.

He trots through security,

His mismatched yellow shirt and camo shorts

Disappear around the corner.

With that my hope for him only increases

My hope that his new life,

His new sense of family,

Can give him everything else that he needs.

With me giving him support from the sidelines,

Cheering for him until he comes back.