The Goodbyes

There will always come the time,

When you have to say goodbye.

He smiled sadly as he said this,

Looking at the little girl,

Standing in front of him,

Bawling her eyes out.

He ruffled her hair softly,

Which only served to make her cry harder.

It isn't forever, he assured her.

But for now,

This is goodbye.

There will always come the time,

When you have to say goodbye.

Sometimes you're on the girl's end,

Crying,

Or wanting to cry so badly,

Because someone very important to you is leaving,

Trying hard, sometimes unsuccessfully,

To suppress those tears,

Because you don't want them to go, sure,

But if they have to,

You want them to go happy.

Other times, you're at the boy's end,

Heart heavy and aching,

Because the ones important to you are crying,

Yet amazed, in a small corner,

That someone considers you significant enough to cry for.

Scared,

Because leaving often means starting something new,

Yet warm,

Because there's still that one that loves you so.

There will always come the time,

When you have to say goodbye.

It only differs which side you're on.

So what's your stand today?

Are you the one leaving,

Stepping on to a new phase?

Or are you the one left behind,

Going through the same old, same old,

With a huge piece nowhere in sight?

Are you the one crying?

Or are you the one biting down on your lips,

Because your job,

Is to comfort the other,

And not breaking down yourself?

Wherever you are now,

You will be on the other side,

Understanding the heartache of that end,

Eventually.