(a poem for Grace, the Jamaican woman next door)
_____ by Rebecca Strait

i will be leaving you soon
didn't you know?
my bags have been packed
and I am ready to go

I will be leaving you soon
can you feel it in the air?
my spouse is on his way
and where my life will lead, i can't tell where

i wanted to say i'm sorry
for projecting and fearing so much
i guess i was just confused with all of the mixed signals
and couldn't tell what was what

i will be leaving you soon
do you really even care?
sometimes i feel your presence with me
and i'll have to just stop and stare

letting go is a part of life
and this is what i've learned
i don't know if i lost your friendship
or gained what the lord knows i've earned

i think it's time for me to go
i will keep you in my dreams
hoping that someday, through my writing,
i can decipher what it all means...

Copyright © 1999. Used by permission of author. All Rights Reserved.