Departure

We are fading, you and I:

The gilt edge of that wordless “us”

Peels back like rotting snake-skin,

Dissolves – and beneath?

Beneath I finally see your fear,

That breathless cancer of your doubt

Which feeds upon your faithless mind,

Rending your aspirations silently

Like wingless summer flies.

Yes, we are fading, but we must,

Because to fade is sweeter than to die.

Remember me, this cold Spring, and this “us”;

Never regret, though all our daydreams end.

Never return. And never comprehend.