Must I Go

Dust coats the spine of the book she holds,
Its pages stiff and sore.
Its words are quiet til her reading
Gives them their encore.

With words we build ourselves a world
And fill in all the space.
To keep the self inside the walls,
We grout ourselves in place.

It runs along the lines of time
It runs along with age.
Which one of these lasts longer, pray,
The gravestone or the page?

I shall write these memories near yours,
Some notes put on the side.
Together they will make a dirge,
That captures our goodbye.

Must I go? A chorus murmurs,
Must all this end so soon?
A hasty exist leaves her with
The music out of tune.

Full stops ending old age,
But questions mark the young;
Sharp blades that cut across the threads
Of all that was to come.

Grief runs along the lines of time,
Grief runs along with age.
Which one of these lasts longer, pray,
The gravestone or the page?

I shall write these memories near yours,
Some notes put on the side.
Together they will make a song,
To practise this goodbye.

Ballad inspired by: Must I Go, Yiyun Li