prologue

dear reader, as you journey through these poems, you may find yourself enveloped in the stillness of the moment, where remnants of calm die with the heaviness of absence.

it’s an unwilling surrender to the unknown, where memories wrap around us like a fog that thickens the air and chokes any bit of hope. a pause. the present often slips into the shadows, and you might feel the struggles that entwine thoughts.

the echoes of laughter—once sweet and serene—now haunt the corners of the mind. perfect memories may drown in regret for the past, where a once-glowing smile flickers like a dying flame. in this dreamlike retreat, you may recall memories of bygone moments that softly beckon.

grief layers over each fleeting thought, strokes of hope, and fading dreams, all the while knowing that reliving those moments is.. impossible. each fleeting moment of joy is eclipsed by shadows of loss. amongst this reverie-like state, there’s a desire to linger, to dance with shadows that mock sorrow while defying the tides of fate.

yet, to my understanding—the pain is a binding force, anchoring us to what has been lost. that pain never fades in my experience, but sometimes you learn to live with it. in this farewell lies an eternal breath as one with echoes of what once was and a heart forever fractured. says goodbye to a beloved figure, left with echoes of what once was and a heart forever fractured.  may you find solace, joy, hope, or whatever brings you positivity within these words, and perhaps a reflection of your own farewells.

written by Zoe