"Impression'

You are a handprint on my heart
That is not yet permanent.
For the hand has not left its print;
I clasp it tightly, refusing to let go.
I know that once I do
It will forever be just a handprint
With no trace of your strong, wide hand anywhere.
A hollow, lonely handprint
Left with bittersweet memories that linger endlessly.
But for the time being
It is twisting and settling into place,
Forming its eternal impression.
Its weight shortens my breath,
Leaves me crying with grief.
The tighter I cling to your hand
The more I suffer,
And the more firmly embedded your handprint becomes.

And yet, I hold on tighter.

Knowing you has changed me for the better,
But this handprint is a high price to pay for that change.
I cannot pry this handprint away from myself.
Love holds it securely in place
And not even the eventual fading of that love
Will result in its disappearance.
People come into our lives for a reason?
Yes, I believe they do.
And they leave our lives for a reason as well.

You have unwittingly left a handprint on my heart.
And it will be with me always,
Though you will not.

I must let go.