They say all good things must come to an end. Or at least put on hold for a spell. I’m shooting for the latter. If you may or may not have heard, I will be stepping away from my bartender / hosting duties here at dVerse. This is a wonderful place to play poet and the people I have encountered here are genuine, encouraging, supportive, cooperative… all around First Class (and All World, as we come from all corners of the globe.) If only we could get the whole world to write one poem and stop their bickering (and worse) this would surely be a better place for sure.

But I need to do this. I’ve written close to 10,000 poems in the seven years I’ve taken our craft somewhat seriously. (Let’s face it, I can be a clown at times). If you’ve read my work recently, it has taken a more somber tone and that is partially the reason for the hiatus. Many of you have asked the rhetorical question about this lady who seems to have occupied my mind. Without going into much detail (I am more of a private person in reality), my wife of 32 years has developed some serious health issues. Poetry has taken a lesser priority – as it should – and my time should and will be put to a more constructive use. We’re all flawed people, and I am no exception. I could have been a better husband and person. I had a seven year love affair. My mistress was poetry! Now, I have an opportunity to change some things and I have to try to do just that!

And so, I will be saying farewell (or at least a hearty “see you later”). I will visit whenever possible and contribute when I can. But I am confident you will all do wonderfully without me. Yet, how do you say “Goodbye?”

There are many ways to say goodbye, but which to choose? For example, take these slang expressions for the big bye-bye:

au revoir – be easy – ciao –  catch you later – cheerio – deuce out the roof – deuces – hang loose – Hasta La Vista, Baby – have a good one – holla  – kthanksbye – later – later gator – laters – one – one love – peace out – see you in hell – see you in the funny papers – see you in church –  see you later, alligator – slater alligator – syonara – take it easy – ta-ta – toodles – toot-a-loo – TT4N – TTFN… to mention a big few!

Then, there are these quotations to ponder:

“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.”
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

“Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry.”
― Dr. Seuss

“The story of life is quicker than the wink of an eye, the story of love is hello and goodbye…until we meet again”
― Jimi Hendrix

“You’ve changed me forever. And I’ll never forget you.”
― Kiera Cass, The Elite

“Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.”
― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

“It’s the emptiest and yet the fullest of all human messages: ‘Good-bye.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, Bluebeard

“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP (Live Long And Prosper)”
― Leonard Nimoy (An exceptional poet in his own right!)

“Saying goodbye is a little like dying.”
― Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

“When I am brave enough to say goodbye
I’ll use the wings you gave me
and away I’ll fly”
― Celia McMahon

“Also, I suppose I wanted to say goodbye to someone, and have someone say goodbye to me. The goodbyes we speak and the goodbyes we hear are the goodbyes that tell us we’re still alive, after all.”
― Stephen King, Wolves of the Calla

“Why does it take a minute to say hello and forever to say goodbye?”
– Author Unknown

and finally,

“I never knew there were so many different ways to say good-bye”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger

Use a slang for goodbye and craft your poem, or be inspired by one of these quotes to trigger your words of farewell!

And with that, I offer my final words in a Pantoum (at least for a while!):

WE SAY OUR GOODBYES

We say our goodbyes
presuming this may be the final end.
And amidst our laughs and cries
we walk away as better friends.

Presuming this may be the final end,
we reminisce about adventures shared.
We walk away as better friends;
we realize how much we’ve cared.

We reminisce about adventures shared,
and know our hearts are sweetly blessed,
we realize how much we’ve cared
now until the day we rest.

Know our hearts are sweetly blessed
and our souls have been as well,
From now until life’s soft caress;
until death’s fatal knell.

Our souls have been as well
connected, and conjoined in heart and mind
until death’s fatal knell,
these are the ties that bind.

Connected and conjoined, in heart and mind
and amidst our laughs and cries,
These are the ties that bind
as we sadly say our goodbyes.

© Copyright Walter J. Wojtanik – 2016

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