Goodbye My Love Poem by Doug Gunderson

I found the letter that you wrote me
Filled with vitriol and hate
I should have saved it for later
But I guess I couldn’t wait.
Now it may have been bad timing,
You were only gone two days;
Or maybe it was losing you
That had me in quite the daze.
Words can hit and words can hurt
Whether they are true or not.
Add in the fact that you just left
And they hit me like a shot.
But now two years have come and gone
And I find I’ve made it through.
Shaken, and a bit worse for wear
And somehow getting over you.
I wasn’t what you wanted.
A city boy who’s way too short.
Neither practical or handy
On the whole, just not your sort.
But I was what you needed
Both early in life and late
I would be there beside you
For what would be your fate.
Others would have left you
For one reason or another:
Your disease your stubbornness
Or your overbearing mother.
You stuck with me, I stuck with you
For almost thirty years.
And when you left I found that note
That brought two months of tears.
I know you’re never coming back
We will never meet once more
But every now and then I feel
That you’re coming through the door.
Silliness, I know it is
You’re glad to be finally free
So I’ve come to the conclusion
Moving on is up to me.
I burned that note some months ago
But the wounds have yet to heal
Frustration, guilt and anger make
It hard to tell what is real.
Reality is what I need.
Get your ghost out of my head.
Just let the past fall behind me
I live on while you are dead.
I will always love you dear
But it’s time I let you go
You’re gone and I must carry on…
It’s time I start doing so.