Ever since you’ve left there’s been this ever growing void,

A hole that cannot be filled, of hope I’m now devoid.

Sounds or smells remind of the not so distant past,

Or I recall an inside joke and suppress the urge to laugh.

Knowledge of you, useless now, sits inside my head,

An oxygen mask put atop a body which is dead.

I know that you’re not coming back and that I must move on,

They say you don’t know what you have until that thing is gone.

But when you left you also took some shackles off of me,

I have more time to learn and grow, I feel like I am free.

The silver lining of the cloud appearing with your storm,

I can leave clothes in a pile or keep all the rooms warm.

No more petty arguments about hobbies that I like,

If I’m so inclined I can just take off on a solo hike.

Just one calendar to manage, doing as I please,

No more fussy eating, I can try more Japanese.

I know now what I’m looking for and what I’ll tolerate,

You weren’t the one but helped me see what I want in a mate.

And over time the void is filled with things I do for me.

So farewell, you will always be a quite fond memory.