This poem was inspired by a scene from Rurouni Kenshin, one of my favorite animes/mangas. The titular hero is about to embark on a dangerous journey to battle an old enemy. He has no idea if he will survive the coming battles. Rather than worry his new friends, he decides to leave late at night, but not before saying goodbye to Kaoru, the young woman who took him in and, incidentally, fell in love with him. You can watch the scene here. Admittedly, I hadn’t seen it in a while, and I forgot there were fireflies. Perhaps I’ll add them when I edit the poems after NaPoWriMo. I hope you like it.

Farewell

I feared this day would come.
I prayed it wouldn’t since the day we met,
When one glance at you struck me dumb,
But I must wander again to pay my debt.

Alone, we meet at midnight.
My sadness is masked by my melancholy smile
As I say, “I must go fight with all my might,
For my cause is just and most worthwhile.”

You beg me to stay, your face illumined by the fireflies’ glow,
As trees shed their cherry blossoms
To mingle with the tears you cry so,
But our hearts are broken within our bosoms.

I hold you in one last embrace,
My neck wet with the tears flowing from your eyes.
I wish I could look you in the face,
For this could be our last goodbye.

“Farewell,” I say, releasing you,
Slinking into the dark, knowing I can’t remain.
You are the only one I could say that to
Because yours is a love I thought I’d never have again.

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