The world looks different to us
with the awareness that
this may be the last time
we will ever see it again.

At these times,
goodbyes, no matter how grand,
appreciative, or reverent,
ring with lingering hollowness.

And memories, even the most precious,
become razor-sharp two-edged swords,
reminding us of what we will miss
and what we will never see again.

Even the deepest understanding
of reality’s impermanent nature
doesn’t prevent us from grasping at
what we love and what has given us pleasure.