her parting kiss
fell soft upon my lips
and with no hesitation
although I knew the separation
to be of short and temporary nature
a frosting covered my heart
as though a spring blossom was suddenly
withered within a February chill
my soul cried and I………………
Nah…..
She kissed me goodbye
And that feeling
That certain lousy feeling
It hit me
Hard
And there’s no name for it
It is that feeling a western hero
would feel
Should he draw down upon
an evil foe
Only to find his holster filled
with emptiness
The sensation that would
befall an astronaut
lost
and with no remaining
means of navigation
And I have yet to find a word
that truly fits it
But whatever one may call it
It is a lousy feeling
Making one aware that
a part,
perhaps,
the most important part
of you
is missing
and that’s
the way I feel
every time
she kisses me
goodbye
Matthew Longerbeam is a native of Maryland. He was a victim of violent crime in the 1990s and has spent most of his adult life in recovery. Matthew is currently working on a degree in Human Services at HCC and lives in Williamsport, Md with his wife Tabby and his cat Hobo.