In Words of Two Syllables

A silly, old bear once told us
How lucky I am to have something
That makes saying goodbye so hard

We are lucky
But I need a new way
To say goodbye

I have a bond
That you and I share
That you and I wove together
For fifteen years

The bond is more than just an invisible string
It’s a rope
Made from thousands of twisted steel threads
Thick as a million-year old tree trunk
Unbreakable

It’s wrapped around our wrists
Tying us together so closely
So tightly
That as you twist away
The rope lights my wrist on fire
As I struggle and plead for you to stay

I need a new way
To say goodbye

Because I need “goodbye” to tell you
That when you leave
I’ll be homesick
Because this house
Bricks
Concrete
Paint
Torment
Isn’t home
When your laughter echoes on the other side of this too-big world

Because I need “goodbye” to tell you
That when I think of your absence
Sobs transform my face into a canvas
Of melting crayon
In blacks and reds and purples

Big brother,
Goodbye