Never Goodbye

When your last poem crashes
into the shores of my soul like a rogue wave,
I will incline myself and dive into its offerings,
knowing there are jewels awaiting those who strive to go
beneath the shallows and into deeper waters,
trusting the tides to carry them back home —
I will not fear the darkness or the light that stretches
above the slow currents as mist.

When my bare toes dig into the soil
and plant their roots in the edges of your well-tended garden,
I trust such seeds will take more than a moment to rise
into bloom, permeating the air with their singular fragrances,
to flourish, unmatched, by any other flower's grace.

When Autumn comes in her inevitable way, her arms wide
and succulent with the comfort of an Indian Summer,
I will watch the wind curl its fist tighter with each passing day —
as the leaves chatter and spiral-dance, evoking your memory,
I'll whisper your name for each bright ember that reaches,
each wisp of smoke that lifts into the sky, seeking its own thunder.

When I miss you (and so I shall), I will softly sigh
and pause to remember that you are still here,
still vibrant, still a part of every molecule we breathe...

yet, when I hear a wooden flute's more dulcet tones,
a tear may form within my eye, unbidden —

I will not wipe it away, nor bow my head.


— Wanda Lea Brayton


Wanda Lea Brayton has more than 200 poems listed at Allpoetry — the world's largest poetry community — where she has been a member since 2004. Wanda also met her husband through Allpoetry.

Her first book of of poetry from 2011, The Echo of What Remains Collected Poems of Wanda Lea Brayton contains upwards of 1500 poems and comes in at a whopping 556 pages! A Beautiful Rumor — Selected Poems was issued in 2012. While not as voluminous as her first offering, A Beautiful Rumor comes in at 372 pages. Wanda's two books combined equal the lifetime output of some of our most noted and beloved poets!

Never Goodbye appears courtesy of the author and first appeared on Wanda's eponymous poetry blog in 2012. We thank Wanda for allowing us to share her poetry with our readers.