When I Leave You

When I leave you,
It won’t be out of anger,
It won’t be out of jealousy.
It won’t be for another woman,
And it won’t be for freedom.

When I leave you,
It won’t be with grace—
It will be hard, hard to do.
I could try to fight it—
But with what power?
Taken quick or slowly,
I’ll still be taken
Out of this world,
Out of your life.

Never out of your heart,
I know—I’m planted there,
A Gibraltar till time’s end.
Yet…yet
I fear for the weight,
The heaviness on you:
All the times you’ll need
A touch, or miss my breath
On the nape of your neck.

When the stars weep,
When songbirds die,
Then, only then
Will my love be left
By your lonely side.

Do I yet know how
Much I love you?
Will my soul chant
In mourning for you?
Will it long for this world
Of night and day only
Because you are still in it?