Unawares, At Some Time

The Wolf Returned

You, who were not the same as I, left me,

and on the day you returned as a beautiful wolf,

there were still those familiar gestures

that showed me you were always you—

the kind that quietly bring tears.

If one waits long enough,

a day will come.

I wait for such a day.

If it comes, I will be grateful.

If it does not, that too is all right.

The times we worried and fought have passed,

the times we laughed aloud have gone.

Watching you grow, watching you change—

is it now the time to let you go?

There were times I let go too soon,

times I sent you away because it hurt,

times I pretended not to see, out of anguish.

I may never know every reason why.

And so, like this, like this,

little by little we drift further apart;

and like this, like this,

I find myself missing you a little more.

These moments I cannot understand

belong neither to me

nor to you,

and so I stand unable to hold on

and unable to let go.

At times I shed tears,

at times I feel sorrow,

at times I dare to remember—

yet these are solitary hours,

lonely and quietly desolate.

Will there come a day we reach one another?

Will there come a moment our lives touch again?

If it does,

I would welcome you with a bright smile.

*these are my own paintings*