Saying Good-Bye

Can one ever really learn
To take it as it comes,
To savor the moment
When what one loves
Is so temporary?

Just yesterday
The trees were green,
Bursting with life.

But today,
They stare off
Into the inevitable future,
Their shoulders drooping,
The slightest yellow tint
Around their edges.

Even the air they breathe
Has a bittersweet feel to it.

The days leading up to the end
Are the hardest.
Even the happy moments
Become sad
In anticipation of their loss.
Yet, I know too well
The futility of resisting.
The past slips
Through my fingers
No matter how tightly
I grip.

The guilty truth is
There is a certain relief
When the end finally comes,
A relief found only
When the burden of dread
Is lifted.

Eventually,
Fall will become the new now.
I won’t recollect so clearly
Why I despaired.
I will participate
In the golden leaves,
The crisp air.

By Maria Brady-Smith
Photo by Mike Smith