I Deserved a Goodbye

I Deserved a Goodbye

More than your hand,

more than your kiss,

more than your lingering glances—

I deserved a goodbye.

The simplest word,

the cleanest truth,

a parting that left me whole.

Instead you fractured me

with silence,

left me carrying

the sharp edges of maybe.

And in your refusal,

I learned that love

is not the wound.

Cowardice is.