Letters to Yara ~ Wish you were here

This is the first of seven articles in the collection
Letters to Yara
my personal take on the hero’s journey.

To you,
Forever,
from me to you.

I know one should take responsibility for the consequences of their decisions, but I wish you were here. It’s been seven days since my departure, but it feels more like forever. Heavyhearted I now search deeply within, to find the words to write you.

I can clearly recall the understanding sadness in your eyes. A regretful goodbye, driven by a calling, a bigger purpose.
We both know that some things are larger than you and I.
Half a world away I find my thoughts fleeting towards the familiarity of your face. If only I knew then what I know now. I would have lingered longer in our last touch. I would have rested my eyes on your face a moment more. I would have embraced you more fiercely.
And with a greater fear of letting go.

The air hugs me like a warm blanket, but it can never provide the same comfort of your loving arms. There’s new perils around every corner, as we navigate an unforgiving world of deceiving beauty.
Piercing winds whip the skin raw, the sun burns without remorse. Razor sharp boulders masked beneath a sheet of dust, a persistent hazard, tearing at our vulnerable feet.
Often I don’t know if the salt on my face comes from sweat or tears.
But we keep moving.
Always moving.
An aching body my new companion.

I reminisce in the sound of your voice; an ointment to my wounds, a fuel for my legs. As we push onward, forward, further.
To places unknown.
And I don’t know when I’m coming home…

I wish upon you strength and courage, as I look for mine in memories of you.

Yours faithfully,