Not Saying Goodbye

I don't know how to say goodbye

To the girl at the coffee stand,

Or the trainer at the gym,

Or my mother.

2.9 million people work, eat, and dream with me;

I don't know them all,

But there are invisible spider threads joining us,

And how do I disconnect these lines?

I don't know how to say goodbye.

And, it's true, I can't figure out the right syntax,

The correct arrangement of consonants and vowels,

Just the right tone and facial expression

That would help me say it.

I don't know how to say goodbye.

Instead I pretend that I'm not leaving.

I never say anything final

Or even cry.