Pieces

There are pieces of my being

That I will never be able to retrieve again.

Lost in the aftermath of grief and despair

Scattered across an empty, abandoned trail

Glowing for the last time, like embers in the dark

With one final flicker before their light runs out.

I would give anything to gather up the missing pieces,

Collecting them one-by-one in my arms,

But try as I might, I cannot reintegrate

What I did not willingly relinquish.

So I will let the pieces be as they are,

Lodged into memories, blazed onto trails,

Glowing with warmth for wanderers to share,

Parts of me that fervently loved, that deeply cared,

Parts of me that hoped for what could be

Parts of my heart that will always bleed

Pieces still clinging when they quietly know

That I cannot keep looking back, I must let go.