What they left me when they left
23 Jun
He left me….
…while laughing.
…a sea shell. A common shell that once lived with its other half somewhere in the dark. He gave it to me on our second date. He was the one that could dive deep into the sea with his eyes open; whereas I floated on the top blindly squinting in the sunlight.
…confused. On the Friday, he had said, ‘This is a serious relationship, right?’ and on the Monday it was over.
…with one question. Wait, why did we break up?
…guarded. I am finding it increasingly difficult to believe the words and the actions of men.
…and I am stronger now.
He left me…
…a hot pink and black scarf from his travels.
…a copy of ‘The Painted Veil’
…with a huge crush on Will Shortz.
…with hundreds of archived emails that still make me smile.
…with a new friend.
…and I am smarter now.
He left me…
…because we didn’t have another choice.
…with petals of lies in his wake that I still find scattered wherever I walk.
…a cocktail umbrella.
…thinking that all men really need to be much taller than me.
…and I am braver now.
He left me…
…for another country.
…convinced that in order to be loved I needed to fundamentally change who I am. (Thankfully, he left and I let him.)
…broken. (But I built myself back up beautifully.)
…with an intense need to be a writer.
…a delicious chocolate cake recipe.
…and I am so thankful for it.
He left me…
He left me…
…on my eleventh year.
…his last pack of cigarettes.
…fatherless.
…an intense fear of knives.
…his temperament. Quiet, studious, wise and impatient of fools, liars and bigots.
…and I survived.
What have the ones who have left, left you?
(Idea stolen from the ethereal Alexia at Say Another Lexi)
He left me with his unopened birthday present, a dozen of his favorite comic books, shared appreciation for Lost and animation, a desire for dessert pizza and hot sauce. He left me without someone to play with.
He left me…
after a kiss
as he faded from view up an airport escalator
with a renewed appreciation of music
a pair of plaid rain boots
in the bitter January cold
with no explanations
with the knowledge that I can be completely in love and, someday soon, I will be again.
Beautifully written.
The only man who ever left me that mattered: he left me with no money, no security, a desire to belong to someone, somewhere. He left me his first wedding band, a bunch of sad memories, a too-short childhood. He left me with the feeling that all men leave, eventually.
My father, of course.
“He left me with the feeling that all men leave, eventually.”
Yip.
Stolen and improved!
I blush.
In my case, I left him…
after months of pretending I didn’t know about her.
asking, “why now?”
standing underneath a lightening-streaked sky.
yesterday.
He left me with me.
and a renewed love for myself that was badly lacking when he was here.
what a great post!
He left me…
…with a pain I thought would never end.
…the first photo he ever took as a child.
…beautiful letters that I finally had the courage to burn.
…feeling like I had wasted over 8 of the best years of my life.
…in serious debt from city living with him.
…a less trusting person.
…at the perfect time for me to meet the man who really IS the one.
* “SHE” left me the longest goodbye.
because it took 4ever for her to completely leave.
* before I could leave her.
* with very little understanding.
* endless thoughts of her.
* wanting more.
Btw, I absolutely, freakin loved this piece.
I’m a new fan.
I want t o do this, it’s such a lovely idea…but I’m too emotional right now and I’m not sure what it would do to me!
This brought tears to my eyes, mostly because I felt so much of it. I absolutely adore this prose. It’s so beautiful.
Also, I am in love with your blog. Consider me hooked.