One Day, I Will Leave You
Today, we twirl in abandon
Trying to catch a glimpse of ourselves
In the mirror as we spin
All tutu pink, flushed cheeks
And hair sticking out in all directions
Some days we make mud pies
Our dresses caked in dripping mud
Distracted by a butterfly dancing by
And how it reminds us of a song
Then turning again to pet the cat
Who runs away from our muddy hands
In a fit of temper, hissing
As we fall over laughing
Then there are days when the sharp no
Causes tears to fall
When there is no band-aid
To make this hurt better
Another day, we’re off on adventures
Running barefoot through the woods
Finding magic in everything we see
And I’m sorry
But one day, I will leave you
I won’t mean to do it
You’ll be with me one moment
And I’ll have left you behind the next
My hair ribbons falling on the ground
As I run on to the thing I think
Might be worth running to
Not knowing that running
Would mean leaving you behind
How long were you gone before I noticed?
Was the absence like an itch
Or more of an ache
Or something like emptiness
In the cavity that once housed this heart?
I only know that one day it rained
And I froze on my way to my car
The keys forgotten in my hand
The rain ruining my perfect hair
Because I forgot the umbrella again
And suddenly I remembered you
Yellow boots splashing enthusiastically
In the biggest mud puddle we could find
Dress tattered from running through woods
Filled with vines and briars and wild things
Like we were once wild things
And faces that lifted up to catch the rain
Rather than turning down
Lest it smear my makeup
Or ruin my perfectly sculpted locks
Oh, I remembered you, and I stood there,
Running late for work,
Soaked to my skin, wondering
When had I left you behind
And why had it taken me so long to remember
And how could I find you again
I only know that one day I was alone
And the next you were with me
And I’m sorry, but one day I will leave you
But right now, we’ll run through the garden
Pigtails flying behind us and dirt on our feet
Blissfully sure of our feet on the ground
And our place in the world
Not knowing that every soul does indeed
Get cleft in two
And soulmates do exist
Only the two of us
Were always just me
And I’m sorry
That I forgot that the best part of me
Was you.
