What to Remember When Leaving

It wasn’t always like this
Empty and cold
Familiar
But unkempt
A garden in ruins

There was love
The kind you needed then
And all the domestic intimacies
Only you two will ever understand

The loss of everyday comforts
The sound of that voice
The embrace of those arms
The affection of those cats
The coziness of that home
The greetings of those neighbors
The company of those friends
The beauty of that city

This is the price you pay
For your life
For your soul
For your sanity
For another chance
At the love you need now
And the Self you’ve been forever
But forgot to be.