When I have left you

I hope you will see

That I watch you in gulls’ eyes as they circle the sea.

 

When I have left you

I hope you will know

That it wasn’t my choice, to leave you, to go.

 

But now that it’s happened

I hope you’ll continue

To live with the zest

Of the life you have in you,

 

I hope you will breathe deep

As you tackle each day,

And carry yourself well,

With hope, not dismay,

 

As you reach for the moon

Like you did in that time

That  I lived by your side,

Me your’s and you mine.

 

I hope you’ll forgive me, and them, all the souls

Who wander the Earth searching faces of old.

I hope you’ll forgive them

As they go on their way

With tears in their eyes; on their faces, dismay

In their joints loveless pain

In their minds hate, insane.

 

I hope you’ll forgive me

As I ask you to smile

And remember the good times,

Once in a while.

For if it brings joy

To those who have lost

That’s a small price to pay

For a large human cost.

And since I have left you

And your time still remains

Please spend it well,

And bring stories to tell,

When we meet again.

For in Heaven or in Hell,

We may meet again.

 

When I have left you,

I know you will know

That I watch you in gardens,

And the grasses that grow.

And when your mind hardens,

I shall watch you in snow,

Do not grow cold:

I am the wind that blows

And the tide that turns

And the rhyme that flows

Sailing you back to me;

And I am the gulls’ eyes as they circle the sea.