Summer's Ghost, a Lingering Ache

 Summer's Ghost, a Lingering Ache

The days grow brief, and summer's flame has died,
Leaving behind a chill within my soul.
I see the world through eyes that have grown old,
Haunted by dreams I can no longer hide.

The thought of golden afternoons to come
Brings not excitement, but a wave of dread.
My heart, a tomb where all the joys lie dead,
Echoes with silence, deafening and numb.

For in my chest, a constant ache remains,
A hollow space where love once brightly burned.
Tears, like a river, endlessly are turned
To salt the wounds, and amplify the pains.

But whispers rise, from sun-drenched days of yore,
Of gentle hands that held me safe and near.
A bittersweet reminder, sharp and clear,
That love, though lost, will linger evermore.

And yet, the saddest truth begins to dawn,
That memories, though precious, cannot mend
The shattered pieces, nor transcend
The agonizing grief of what is gone.

To say goodbye to one you held so dear,
To feel a lifetime slipping through your hands,
Is to be stranded in these barren lands,
Where summer's ghost will haunt me, year by year.

But in another life, beneath a different sky,
Perhaps our paths will intertwine once more.
And we'll reclaim the joy we knew before,
As summer's sun shines brightly, you and I.

Until that distant day, I'll hold you near,
Within the chambers of my wounded heart.
Though we are parted, never truly far apart,
And cherish every memory, year after year.