Goodbye

I came back one dark grey December,
Returned to the place I once called home.
I searched for something I’d remember,
But it wasn’t the place I’d known.

I walked through the once-manicured gardens,
Once seas of bloom and buzzing bees,
Tugging gently at old memories,
They meant the world to me.

And I know that things must change,
I know they can’t stay the same.
As one day fades, a new one wakes,
We say goodbye to the worlds we make.

No light shining down the driveway,
No creak of the old front gate.
No pumpkin soup on the table waiting,
No crackling fire in the fireplace.

No dogs running out to greet me,
No sheep wandering all around,
No cows calling up from the valley,
No frogs in the tank croaking now.

The rusty henhouse stands deserted,
Grain lies spoilt on the ground.
Wild birds gather on the empty feeders,
Searching hopelessly, looking all around.

The plants are tired and softly wilting,
The grass once green is dusty brown.
Unwelcome weeds creep through forgotten gardens,
Faded flowers fall to the ground.

And I know that things must change,
I know they can’t stay the same.
As one day fades, a new one wakes,
We say goodbye to the worlds we make.

No laughter echoes down the hallway,
No breakfast sizzling on the stove.
No bread on the benchtop cooling,
No more of the homemade jam we loved.

No Christmas lights blinking brightly,
No more family photos on the walls,
No sewing machine humming away,
No fresh-baked biscuits anymore.

When I look back on days dearly treasured,
The missing moments bring the pain.
I’ll never again take a second for granted,
How fast things change and change again.

And I know I can no longer see you,
But it still feels like you are near.
You once said, “We are so lucky,
It’s a wonderful, wonderful world.”

Hold the things you love , they’re fleeting.
Once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.
Hold the things you love so tightly,
You’d bring them back, you know you would.