Poem: Missing

How am I to say good-bye
I’ve loved you before this life,
On misty shores my arms enwrapped you
My delicate fingers traced your jaw and played in your hair
With a tenderness of centuries.
You were a companion, a beloved friend.
My peace in the storms of existence.
Sharing the mysteries and magic,
The realm beyond with me.
Now you come to me a cruel teacher,
An ebony mirror echoing back my essence.
I thought us a blend of opposites, ying to yang,
Dark to Light.
Perfection in opposition.
Was your cruelty
The necessary jar to my spirit--to know all that I am not.
Was there ever tenderness?
Was there ever truth?
Was there ever love?
If there was,
Where are you?