A Love Letter to the One Sleeping in My Bed

A Love Letter to the One Sleeping in My Bed

To the one who now sleeps where I too once slept

By now, the walls will have forgotten my name

Gone with me too will be the scent of rosemary oil and rainy afternoons

The dust will have reclaimed the corners I once called mine

And my books no longer sit in line

But maybe, just maybe, some semblance of me has been caught in the cracks of the coving, a laugh or the sound of my voice, frozen in time

You will never know my name and I shall never know your face, but we are connected by the shared silence and dreams hanging in the air

I once dreamed under the same ceiling,

Counting the planes as they flew by my window

I wonder if the floorboards by the mirror still creak when you walk above them, if the walls are the same pale cream colour, if you too keep the blinds raised just so you can stand by the window and stare out at the world outside

Do you ever cry into your pillow at night or do you only ever fill this quiet space with your infectious laughter?

Does the giant pear tree still stand outside, its branches looming over the roof as it blossoms beautifully?

I left behind nothing but the memories I made in this sanctuary space of mine,

This room has witnessed my growth from a girl to a woman

It has seen the best of me- and the unbecoming.

It has seen all the arguments, all the conversations, all the mornings I didn’t want to rise.

The carpet has memorised my footsteps of all the nights I danced alone chasing those fleeting feelings.

I hope that when you go to sleep you are comforted by this bed’s warm embrace, the way its warmth embraced me too.

I hope that the silence doesn’t scare you but instead it becomes your companion.

If you ever find yourself lost, searching for something, I hope you know that your safe haven is here.

I hope that you can fill this room with the new memories you’ll make. Joyful memories. Memories that make you smile in moments of solidarity.

You and I are two strangers separated by centuries but joined by this sacred shelter, a place we share and cherish together.

A place where we can lay down the problems of the day and rest.

Where your life now begins, mine has gently worn away and ended.

But this bed holds us both and that must mean something my dearest.

May you dream sweetly and love so deeply

And when you wake at dawn, I hope the sunlight kisses your face and the birdsong greets you kindly, as it once did for me.

From someone who once belonged here too, with love that transcends time, I laid my roots here. You are here now.

And that is enough.