Sometimes it takes
Resolving to leave a place
To realize how much it has grown on you

There is a bittersweet ache
That burgeons from deep in your chest
Whenever you remind yourself -

The chapter is nearly over.

You see with new eyes again:

That monotonous walk to work -
With the same bored dogs that bark
From the same white houses

That friend you never knew
You loved quite so much
Whose full laugh doesn't fit her small body

And that little place where you live
With the furniture you don't own
That has somehow become a home

With new eyes you appreciate it all again
And tell yourself, staying wouldn't be
All that bad

There is a bittersweet ache
That burgeons from deep in your chest.
It will get packed along with shirts and regret.

But even with new eyes, you see –

The chapter is nearly over.