My Cardboard Balcony

It's Hard To Say Goodbye by Belinda Roddie It's hard to say goodbye to someone who you considered a friend. Easy to cut them off on social networking sites, yes, and to delete each photo online. But when you go to yank the photographs out of an album, a few things come to mind: The photos are perfectly organized, and you want to keep the good memories intact. You try to claw each memento out of its plastic seal and toss it out, to ease the pain somewhat and grow numb to the day when the two of you were happy. But you just can't. You want to remember how strong of friends at one time you both were.

Be patient. Wait longer. The pain will dissipate eventually. Savor spoonfuls of medicine while you lie in bed. Pillow's extra fluffy. Blanket's extra warm. Also extra fluffy. Don't panic. Don't be ashamed. Don't be embarrassed. And for the love of God, do not cry. Because crying just makes it sting more. Sit up. She's brought you soup. Hot, full of noodles. The hearty kind. You take a sip, and she kisses you. Two sensations.