The Long Goodbye

It’s called the long goodbye, and I can see it is for some,

For those on the outside, seeing what’s to come

But for me it’s not that long at all,

Even at 90 years of age

When I look back on my memories,

They are all still in my brain

It’s not that I’ve forgotten,

It’s not like I don’t know

There is a part of me inside

that knows but now I just can’t show

My life may appear to be over,

But in a way, it’s just begun

I move on to another phase,

Out there, in the great beyond

I still see you when you visit,

And I still miss you when you’re gone

I just can’t unscramble

The words that go along

With my thoughts of all that happens,

Though my memories, still clear,

I cannot make the words

Make sense to your ears

I often sit in silence

And think back on my life

I think of all the things

I’ve seen and done

You watch me sit there, quiet

But in my mind it’s not so quiet,

I just can’t say the things right.

My life may appear to be over,

But in a way, it’s just begun

I move on to another phase,

Out there, in the great beyond

Life is just so fleeting,

90 years seems like a week

As you think I slip back in time

I’m seeing memories I still keep

You think my mind has given up

And I understand how it looks

But I see the world differently now

Like photos in a book

In this book, I see your faces,

Each and every one of you

And on those pages filled with you

I find comfort too

My mind is playing tricks on you

It’s playing tricks on me

But at the deepest core,

It’s still able to see

Everything from all my years

Each piece of history

Each person I have loved

I still hold within me

So don’t be sad I’m going,

And don’t morn me when I’m gone,

I am with those before me

To them, I have come home

And in my mind and in my heart

I know  I have been loved

All the time I was on earth

And now I have moved on

My life may appear over,

But in a way , it’s just begun

I move on to another phase

Out there, — in the great beyond

Rob Sinclair- 14th February 2024