Originally published March 23, 2018.
The original piece is below for reference, and can be found in its entirety at https://objectsanddistance.com/2018/03/23/when-you-are-not-here/
Where do you go
When the night arrives
When the stars come out
To take you away
Or do you go willingly
Beautiful hand in ageless hand
Eyes shut tight
But open wide?
Do you walk alone
Through worlds unknown
Through space and time both
So far, but always so close
To where you began
Where do you go
When the day drags on
The minutes too short
But the hours too long
Eyes straight ahead
But what they see
Cast to the side?
Where are you now
I wish I was there
Wherever you are
Wherever you might be
I want to be also
Whatever that might mean
Sometimes I think
I am jealous of the sun
Even though the clouds get in the way
It knows
Everyone
Or maybe I am like the moon
Always seeking
Something new
A light to shine through
To reflect back
To you
I would be your sun
Your moon
Your cloudy day
To sit inside
While movies play
Your starry night
Your guiding light
Your favorite words
The tone, just right
Whispered in your ear
That only you might hear
That it might be abundantly clear
You have nothing to fear
So long as I am near…
Where do you go
When you are not here?
Objects, and the Distance Between Them 