Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Good-bye

                                                                       Attribution: Brett Morton
Image: Family members bidding good-bye
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Good-bye, sayonara, au revoir
Say it whatever
which way whichever
It means tears not laughter

Can one be faulted
Emotions goaded
not evolved but immediate

Why just saying it invokes sadness
Why is separation so revealing
That tears go streaming
Is there no drama in between?

Till we meet again!
We may or may not meet
That is why

In the meanwhile
tears run dry
The feelings are sustained
Difficult to explain
Tears of joy may just drop
Or of sadness unprompted

It is that difficult to say goodbye?


Written for alan's hosting at Poetry Jam with prompt  -  good-bye

18 comments:

  1. No matter, how much we believe that we will meet with the one who has gone, still it is difficult to say goodbye.

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  2. Yes, it is difficult to say goodbye always :-)

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  3. I like this. It is strong and it touches all the bases. A good response to the prompt.

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  4. smiles....glad that those tears of pain can become tears of joy...i think th difficulty comes in the not knowing if you will meet again...

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  5. Tense and real. I learned with age that good-bye isn't always sad.

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  6. Hank, it is so true that when we say good-bye we never know when we will meet again, or if we will meet again. I remember when, after I lived in another city, I visited my parents for the weekend and had to leave them on Sunday. I waved as I was driving out the driveway, and they waved from the window inside. It was sad....as though there were smiles I never knew IF I would see them again. And...there came a time when I didn't. Your poem reminded me of this.

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    1. Those dear to us often seem to be always there for us just because they are nearby. We are lulled into the sense of security of being able to see them when we fancy it. It is not so! Totally agree, Mary! A good-bye is as treasured to one who is a distance away or one nearby. Thanks!

      Hank

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  7. Heartfelt. Goodbyes like this are so emotional, Hank.

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  8. Yeah it can be quite the awful thing indeed, not knowing if one will ever meet again. Adios, lol

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  9. Saying goodbye to someone who's been with us all of our lives takes its toll...An emotional read. Beautifully penned, as always.

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  10. I remember every time I said goodbye to my grandparents, i wondered if I would see them again. Goodbyes are fraught with the uncertainty of the unknown. Well said. A great response to the prompt.

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  11. We may or may not meet - you've found the reason for some sad goodbyes.

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  12. Love the multiple good-bye options ... very nice, Hank.

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  14. Love it, goodbye's are always hards

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  15. It is not so much the goodbye, but where the imagination takes the loved one parted that can be wrenching.

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  16. it can be so difficult. Especially our milatary going overseas.
    Very scary. Excellnt poem

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  17. Hank, this is the poem I felt, but didn't write--i really struggled with this prompt because I goodbyes make me so sad, I've moved a lot and I'm really tired of good byes :-) Perfect poem!

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