After my grandfather's funeral I called him,
just so I could hear his voice one last time.
Of course, I knew he would never answer.
I just wanted to make it final and say goodbye one last time.
It sent me to his voicemail; I knew it would,
but I didn't hang up ... I kept the phone to my ear,
searching for something to prove he was gone,
but it was no different than it had been before.
It was the same voice, same laugh, same ... him.
Once his voicemail ended I dialed again.
He said, "Sorry I can't get your call right now,
I'm out living life ... See you around!"
I so badly wished he was living his delicate life
because he loved it so much, clung to it so tightly.
But when he said, "See you around!" my heart broke.
All the memories we had, the ones in process, the ones on their way
were gone from wherever I had kept them hidden,
and he would never again say, "See you around."
He didn't even have a chance to say goodbye, or tell me he loved me.
All we had now were the fading memories we had shared.
There would be no more laughs or smiles or hugs...
From then on, there would be nothing left of him.