What lies ahead.

I hate that I'll be entering a new year
without you.
I remember the last time I saw you
from a distance,
enshrouded in shadows,
an unrecognizable face.

You were always so recognizable
to me.
The way you sat,
the way you listened,
the way your silence
wrapped around me like a hug.

You were there for me
when I let no one else in,
when no one else knew,
when I could barely acknowledge
that yes, I was in a crisis.

How do I move forward
with memories of a stranger?

You held the power to make me
question all reality...

but here I am,
resilient;
it's what's expected
of me.