At the end of Elvis Presley’s concerts, the venue’s management typically announced, “Elvis has left the building.” The phrase seemed appropriate in a different context. 

…has left this place

an aerosol of silence 
fills empty spaces.
no sniffles, no wheezes, no grunts
no heels hitting hardwood.
clothes sag on closet rods
potted plants droop
a life has left this place

memories no longer evoke echoes;
smiles do not brighten shared stories.
give and take has up and gone.
sadness settles onto someday,
forever fades over the horizon;
laughter has left this place

ears strain for sounds 
of pencil dropped, toilet flushed;
fingertips ache for warm cheek,
soft hair, cold feet,
to touch, to hold, protect, enfold
peripheral vison searches for 
movements beyond the edge of sight.
lips have nothing left to kiss.
love has left this place

one bag of garbage 
one load of laundry
one plate on the table
one side of bed unrumpled
one datebook to compare
one has lost its other
one of us has left this place

by Jim Taylor, March 2020