Leaving and Leaving You

When I leave your postcode and your commuting station,

When I leave undone the things that we planned to do,

You may feel you have been left by association,

But there is leaving and there is leaving you.

When I leave your town and the club that you belong to,

When I leave without much warning or much regret,

Remember, there's doing wrong and there's doing wrong to

You, which I'll never do and I haven't yet,

And when I have gone, remember that in weighing

Everything up, from love to a cheaper rent,

You were all the reasons I thought of staying

And you were none of the reasons why I went

And although I leave your sight and I leave your setting

And our separation is soon to be a fact,

Though you stand beside what I'm leaving and forgetting,

I'm not leaving you, not if motive makes the act.

—Sophie Hannah, Leaving and Leaving You

I first found this poem while lying in my friend's bed looking through books about five years ago, and I suppose this is the first time it's actually been relevant. Thus I start the hunt for a new place to live, in every sense, and it's exciting and frightening. But it's the way it must be.

Tagged: sophiehannah, leavingandleavingyou, separation.

Labels: poetry, relationships