He read about some tender good-byes;
half-way through, he started to cry;
the good-byes
were tender enough for
it’s antecedent, “God be with you”
to come through;
and then he realized he had a really
hard time saying good-bye
to two of the most important people in his life,
because those two of the most
important people in his life
left this life
before he had the chance or
even the thought to say good-bye.
Now, all these years later, he still
doesn’t know how to say good-bye
while he says over and over and over
to them, “God be with you,” before he
is sleeping
and meets them with a greeting
before their dawn’s leaving.

*idea from a meditation by Frederick Buechner