Of Saying Goodbye Poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen

It`s not the first time
I`m used to it now
The cold span of time and space
is ethereal years of longing
in the heart and mind.

When to meet again
when to speak in person
when to reach out
to hold each one`s hand?

The going, the saying of goodbye
eats up our voice in the quibbling lips
and releases our hearts
by tears flowing by.

Yes, I am used to it now.
Distance and space though
bridged by human inventions
are still there
between our own seas.
__________________

(Departure from the Philippines to Denmark)