Surviving Heartbreak

The In-Between

Letting go isn't an instant act—
no one wakes up one morning and just moves on.
It's a thousand small goodbyes, whispered softly,
over months and years. It's letting them go
again and again, in a million different ways.

You let them go when you're at the grocery store,
passing their favorite chocolate on the shelf—
this time, you leave it there.
You let them go when you walk home alone,
instead of reaching for a hand
that used to steady you in the dark.

You let them go when the scent of their body wash
finally fades from your bathroom—
you toss out the empty bottle, and don't look back.
You let them go on anniversaries of heartbreak,
when dates on the calendar are just dates,
no longer milestones of what used to be.

You let them go when you pass by their street,
and your heart doesn't ache like it used to—
when you don't wave, don't smile,
don't feel that pull to turn around.

So you see, letting go takes time—
over and over, piece by piece,
until they are just a memory you carry lightly,
like a faded photograph tucked away.

And that's okay. 

Healing isn't a straight path.
It twists and turns, stops and starts,
but the only thing that matters
is that each time you let them go,
you're a little closer to free.

—MistakenGenius