It was raining
The day you said goodbye.
Raindrops streaked down windowpanes,
Turning the once stable ground
To mud,
Just like how
The world seemed to slip out
From under out feet.

I was crying 
The day you said goodbye.
None of us wanted to say
What we knew was all too true, or
What the likely outcome was.
Words stuck in throats,
Strained silence became overwhelming
As we choked, alone, on our 
Own pain, finally realizing inside that
Everything was not going to be okay.

You were brave
The day you said goodbye.
You couldn't speak, as none of us could,
Yet the gentle squeeze you gave my hand
And the last hug we ever shared
Expressed all the memories, the heartache,
The joy, the sadness I knew, you knew, we all felt.
Then the door opened,
And closed,
And you were gone.

Goodbye can mean many different things.
To some, a form of polite farewell,
Often containing a connotation of "I'll see you soon"
Or perhaps even "I'll see you never, and I'm glad".
But for me, goodbye means so much more.
It still fills a hole in my heart, patching up the pain 
I felt when you left.
Goodbye, for me, is hopeful. 
Yet it's also a promise to never forget someone,
No matter what happens.
It means you'll miss them
And love them,
Even if you never see them ever again.
That goodbye was the hardest I've ever known,
But I'm still lucky -- at least goodbye, for me,
Is full of love, not hatred.
These bittersweet memories are special,
And they'll never say goodbye.