saying goodbye

if I knew our time together
would be so short,
I would have traced
the lines of your hands
until they were part of me,
I would have learned
the shape of your laugh
until it filled my world,
I would have counted
every part of you I loved
until I forgot the parts
I wanted you to change.

I don’t want to say—
you must do what’s
best for you.
it’s too late for me.