I take them with me

With great hunger

I fed on the world,

one bite at a time

before swallowing it whole.

Some lands I could not digest,

while others have put roots

like oaks

deep in my bones.

And so I take them with me:

those words never spoken,

those caresses never given,

faithfully following my steps.

If you ask me, stranger,

why I don’t look at the sky,

well, I’ve lived on this land so long

that greetings I have to spare

for beasts and for men.

Yet I have not forgotten you,

o faraway stars,

seated in the sky,

eternally shining.

I beg you to wait a while longer,

one last journey at sea,

one last kiss for my woman,

and I promise you,

on this heart that beats in my chest:

my soul from this prison shall be freed

to join you and shine,

free from this mortal coil,

well beyond the universe's finish line.

by Jason R. Forbus