This is how you say goodbye:

​

You give him the tightest 
Hug back in the hotel,
Your arms wound 

 

Around him as if never
Wanting to let go,
Telling him you love him 

​

As he wordlessly hugs 
You back, with his shield 
Of silence.

​

But in the cab ride to Changi,
He tells you happy
Stories:

​

About the days you spent
On Bantayan Island,
Walking on sand 

​

White as milk,
The endless stories
Told on the beach,

​

His hand locked in yours—
Your skins blending
Into one—

​

The night sky suddenly
Alive with the wounds
Of stars.