What's Good About Goodbyes? Poem by Denis Martindale

It often puzzles me to ask,
What's good about goodbyes?
Sometimes it's such a troubled task,
Tears streaming from our eyes...
Cheeks moistened by the miseries
That partings can unfold,
Because the hugs that used to please
Now make us numbed and cold...

Hands clutching shoulders oh so tight,
Then brave face once again,
The struggle staying so polite,
Like counting upto ten...
Then one, two, three, untwining now,
Releasing with a kiss,
Then gulping back, some way, somehow,
Because of what we'll miss...

The love and friendship that was shared,
The bonding to-and-fro,
That leaves our hearts so unprepared,
The time it's time to go...
The looks to left, the looks to right,
The tight-lipped moment's here,
No matter day, no matter night,
True love stays crystal clear...

To others looking on, this says,
More than our words can say,
With loved ones nestling in our prayers,
No matter where we stray...
Sometimes it's such a troubled task,
Tears streaming from our eyes...
It often puzzles me to ask,
What's good about goodbyes?