On saying goodbye...

do they know?
Robert Montgomery



It suddenly hit me
today on this bright
gentle July afternoon...
looking over at the pictures
it hit me
they're gone
really gone...

No more
excuses
to get out of class
no more
laughter in hallways
or the promise
of tomorrow's excuses.

"Have a nice weekend"
"See you tomorrow"
reduced to
"Take care and visit."
"Go change the world...
it needs you."

Do they know
that an age has passed?
Golden innocence
even in the face
of so much
horrific insanity.

Do they see
the bubble burst
behind them
opening the door
to what is
and what must be?

I smile through
the heartbreak
knowing that this heart
holds the precious
memory
of their days
in this particular sun.

It suddenly hit me
today on this endless
July afternoon
that they are gone
really gone...
to their lives.