The title stands out to me because for me it's like you know someone is dying, I have been through this myself with my dear grandad because he had been diagnosed with cancer for a long time before he died and each time he fought it, it came back more progressively so it that respect we has a 'prolonged goodbye' as we knew his time was coming but not when.
The first two parts of this are like you have been in this situation and though you've been here before you don't know how to cope with it and it's not easy which 'goodbyes never are regardless of wanting them of not currently I am going through a divorce and though I wanted it because my ex husband is a controlling, abuse man it was hard to instigate this because I'd been with him a long time and being with him was all I'd known... The first line for me is like you're saying "oh, here we go again" I love the imagery in the second stanza of walls chipping until there are holes which cannot be covered and it makes me wonder whether or not that is actually a wall or skin as in has this person been so nasty as to hurt you and say things that chip away to cause discrepancies 'holes' in your mental health. It makes one wonder.
These next two stanza although simple in their lines are very thought provoking because no one does notice death in their early stages, no one realises they have cancer until they have symptoms eg a lump, no one realises someone is severely depressed, until it's too late and unfortunately, this is true if only we were giving a day of our death but then again would we run for the hills if we knew??
I can't give away
all the memories,
so I analyze them
carefully in preparation.
^
This stanza makes me think that you have definitely lost someone dear to you, whether or not it's through death or a separation is unclear but it still hurts like hell despite which it is as you talk of memories but as you speak of analysing and prepartions I feel you have lost someon due to death and are possibly preparing for a funeral, if that is the case I am sorry for your loss.
This is not a warning sign;
it's been clear all along.
^
A very hard hitting stanza.
The winter you thought you
could escape
has always existed here,
^
This makes me feel that things between you and this other person have been a bit hostile because of the word winter and the way you used "always existed here" but I could be reading too much into it and it could just mean where you live (I'm writing this and don't know as my memory is terrible) could always be quite cold anyway).
you simply pretended that
the sun could hold enough
warmth,

but it's not enough

even I know this.
I love the ending because it sums up the poem nicely and makes me believe that what I thought about the last stanzas was true that there was some sort of hostility in the relationship you had with this person and they always tried to make things seem brighter but not everything smells of roses, does it?
Another fantastic piece.
Take care xx

You keep posting excellent poems with links to cool stuff. I love Linkin Park, this song and especially this album. Thanks, for the memories : )

Beautiful as always.
I am glad that even after all these year and forgetting about this place, you're still writing unforgettable poetry

“No one realizes death
in its earliest stages.”

Wonderful.