This poem explores the unexpected emotions that surface when seeing someone from the past transformed by time.
It reflects on memory, unfinished love, compassion, and the quiet decision to let certain chapters of life remain closed.
Rather than seeking reunion, it honors the fragile peace found in preserving what was once deeply cherished.
🎵 "Sad Piano Violin 3"
— AbsoluteSound (Pixabay Music)
Photo credit: Robert Katzki
I came across your pictures recently,
and sudden emotional turmoil rained down on me,
A storm of grief, curiosity, guilt, and compassion.
The old, unfinished chapter of my life
stirred awake, unearthing the most cherished memory
I had buried deep in my heart for decades.
At the sight of your image,
my mind keeps asking:
Is that you, the boy I once knew?
The one who carried a magical smile?
Now I see a stranger,
a weathered and aged man.
Yet somewhere inside,
I still see you as a source of light that holds quiet value in my life.
You were a gentle pause in my life’s long story,
a peaceful memory I kept untouched.
But I fear reaching out.
I dread the pain it might awaken in us both.
I must protect the fragile comfort of our silence,
the careful boundaries we’ve drawn.
Perhaps you no longer carry the ghost of our past.
My love, stay happy;
I pray you heal fast.
