this hit really different
The Longing That Never Returns
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There are longings that never return,
Thought
Thought
this hit really different
Post content
There are longings that never return,
they merely learn how to remain.
They sit at the table with me
and drink from the same silence
we once called love.
A candle’s tears —
made of burning wax —
run down my face
as though the night itself
had learnt how to melt.
I light another flame
to illuminate what we lost,
but the light only reveals
the empty place
where I still wait for you.
There are names that are never forgotten;
they merely grow old upon the tongue.
There are embraces that never end,
because they never found the courage
to say goodbye.
And I remain here,
my heart becoming the wick,
my soul becoming wax,
slowly burning
for a longing
that will never return.
Perhaps that is love’s punishment:
not dying when everything ends,
but continuing to burn
when there is no one left
to save us from the flame.
Thoughts
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Most of this is about the burning and the longing. Is there any relief in it, or does it hurt all the way through?
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The love's punishment at the end, is that how it actually feels, or is that you trying to make sense of something that makes no sense?
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You keep saying 'I remain here' at the end of each section. Do you feel like you're trapped in this, or like you're choosing to stay?
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I've sat with people carrying this exact weight. The part about continuing to burn even when there's no one left, that's where real people live.
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this hit really different
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When you say the embraces never end because they never found courage to say goodbye, is that about a specific moment?
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This whole thing lives in that candle, the melting, the burning, the light revealing the empty place. It stays.
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I keep coming back to 'they merely learn how to remain.' What made you write that particular line?