I wish to go where we shall meet,
Together, in a silent retreat
Alone is where my heart resides
To see you is my last desire
And in my heart burns a slow fire
All I want is to hold your hand
Or feel again that soft sand
From the beach where we first met
And watched the sun set
You are gone and I must believe
That in some strange, forgotten present
I would not have to live with this lament
The candle’s scent is your last breath
My mind is trapped with days gone by
Filled with frozen fireflies
Now my mind is torn with doubt
I sit here and contemplate
While silently cursing fate
I think back to better times
They come to me like ringing chimes
And all the feelings that I hold
Now just leave me cold
What once was flickers and passes
The candle’s scent is your last breath
There will be time to wonder
“What might have been?”
Time to look back and spin
Around the unsaid sins
I will say “I know I tried”
“But you still died”
“And had I lied..”
Nothing would have changed
So I sit and think about
The fireflies that we caught
And how I can live without
You were kind
You were patient
But the night is nearing its end
And I will take my heart to mend
I can feel you in the wind
So let your spirit stay free
You are no longer bound to me
We both let loose our chains
And free our imaginary pain
And it was worth it after all
To raise my head up tall
And sing about the life lived
That in some true, remembered past
I was with you, at long last
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Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Poem inspired by the Karkarma myths from Ilocos
Karkarma Illustration by Marc Samuel Magpantay