You were ready. I wasn’t. I’m here. You’re there. But that changes nothing about the treasure I bear inside; the ability to love without want or desire tainting the purity of my feelings. I am proud of my grownup emotions that allow me to love freely from a great distance. N.C.
But I know this.
We’re ready to move
forward again in our way.
Together or apart,
no matter how far apart, we
live in one another.
We go on together.
Ann Brashares
Chasing “what might have been” is like chasing a ghost seen only as a secondary flicker out of the corner of the eye. Such mental consternation is much to do about nothing, as done cannot be undone. What’s behind is cast in rock that only weighs one down. G.W.
Since fragile flesh could never bear
Such passion or such grief,
She willed her heart to stone
And, this accomplished, found relief.
Only in dreams she turns and cries,
Tears on her face like frost,
And waking does not even know
She weeps; nor what is lost.
“Metamorphosis” by Ruth Gilbert
The better part of me wants to run as fast as possible to find you and hold you. And there is anxiety aroused by the old wounds of us that scream “get away”. I won’t run. I will face my fears. Whatever risk I am taking is worth it. You have my trust. I believe in you. H.E.
Like a bedraggled moth am I,
Drawn dizzily, yet inexorably
Toward the soft ethereal light
That shines from the eyes of a silken Goddess:
Poor stupid creature!
What hope for me?
“Enfants Perdus”
by Danny Rowden
There is regret in my soul that it took so long, but I forgive you. If there is still love in your heart for me, say so. It does not matter whether we are together or not. It does not matter if I ever see you again. Above everything what does matter is if you still love me. B.C.
What I have evidence of
in every letter, in every word….
Write no new letters,
speak no new words,
look no new looks;
only tell me,
years hence
that the present is alive,
that what was once, still is
and I am … blessed as ever.
Robert Browning To Elizabeth Barrett March 11, 1846
You threw me on the scrape heap of life. It took years to work past. I’m fine now until you call once in a while and want something. Like a fool I always do it. Afterwards memories and regret don’t leave my thoughts for days. Please let me have peace. Leave me alone. C.B.
I used to like to play with fire,
I was attracted to your flame.
But now I have no desire,
To play that same old cryin’ game.
I’m doin’ fine:
I’ve got my feet back on the ground.
Made up my mind,
Till you start comin’ back around.
From “Leave My Heart Alone”
sung by Deborah Allen
I tell myself you’re not allowed to hurt me anymore. But when I do it just hurts more. Letting you go and ending the love in my heart for you is the hardest thing I’ve ever attempted. So far I’m failing at forgetting and succeeding only at loving you through time and distance. L.D.
Pain, pain go away!
Please do not come back another day.
Tears falling down my face
oh how I wish for his warm embrace.
How can he stand there and break my heart
How did we allow us to grow so far apart?
My dream of us being happy is not going to come true
all I am feeling is down and blue.
Pain, pain go away
bring me back to another day
where he loved me and
we thought we were meant to be.
Taken from “Pain, Pain Go Away” by Kari Johnston
Our vacations to the sea are happily stuck in my mind. Waking Sunday mornings, reading the paper, drinking coffee and eating croissants with you is a favorite memory. It hurts we’re no longer together, but I have many wonderful memories of when you were my world. P.S.
Always remember to forget
the things that made you sad,
but never forget to remember
the things that made you glad.
Elbert Hubbard
For hours, even days, I don’t think about you. But when my feelings bubble up I become temporarily lost in thinking of much I loved you then and still do now. Wishing to forget and fighting to hold on to every memory is slowly driving me crazy; a bitter-sweet insanity. L.S.
I have flown and fallen,
and I have swum deep and drowned,
but there should be more to love
than “I survived it”.
Lisa Manchev
I was fifteen. You were a year younger. Now decades later I still think of you. My heart aches at times to know what became of you. We were each others first love; the one a person never forgets. I hope you’re happy and as deeply cared for as you deserve. I still love you. R.Y.
Something about first love defies duplication.
Before it, your heart is blank. Unwritten.
After, the walls are left inscribed and graffitied.
When it ends, no amount of scrubbing
will purge the scrawled oaths and sketched images,
but sooner or later, you find that there’s space
for someone else, between the words and in the margins.
Tammara Webber
After we broke up I lost track of you. Sometimes I wonder where you are or what you’re doing. Did you move away? Settle down? Are you happy? Are you in love? Do you have children? It’s been ten years and still I have thoughts of you. Do you still think of me? J.B.
I wonder do you think of me
And remember the park
Where you struck the spark
To a fire that’s still burning
… in my heart.
I can tell you that I’ve never
Felt like that since.
I don’t know if you would
But I’d go back if I could.
Keith Whitley
Broken Hearts Anonymous 