GOOD-BYE PARIS

Poem by R.M. Dolin, March 6, 2024

Good-Bye Paris

I came to say good-bye
to Paris,
and the only woman
I’ve ever really loved.

I came to let go of dreams,
the best part of me,
and to figure out
how to move forward
with shattered pieces
of my soul.

I came to touch
old familiar sidewalks
one last time, to taste
warm bread and drink red wine
at quiet sidewalk cafés
while writing random poems
of forever love
colliding with the callous
harshness of loss.

I came to Paris
to tell you
I’m still in love,
and will always be,
even if
the only part of me that matters
must die,
so that what remains
might learn to live.

Background poem for the novel, “The Dangling Conversation.” Kyle’s last poem to Nadia.