My heart has broken every day

Since the moment you went away,

And though there are tears I long to cry,

My eyes have stayed unyieldingly dry.

The ache has faded and left the truth.

Gone are the days I counted as youth.

And though I thought I was grown,

No loss like this had I known.

I didn’t suspect you’d take your leave

Or that you’d be the one to teach me grief

So that I would know as hours passed

That those we love don’t ever last.

Oh, how far you and I have come

Since we counted up the sum

Of suffering shared and what it meant

To be unbroken, only bent.

How I miss you in my dreams

And in the silent painful screams.

I chase your footprints up those stairs,

No longer running; you’re not there.

I think of all the times I went

To your aid; my ear I lent

And drew you into strengthening hug.

The flow of tears with thumbs I plugged,

Whispered softly in your ear,

No need to cry for I am here.

I hope you felt my tender love.

If not, you know now up above.

And though I wish you’d made a different choice,

I still respect your timeless voice

And remember how you spoke my name.

I hope you know I felt the same.