Divorce from a Friend

I have a trip to make,
One, perhaps, I should have made long ago
Because I have been packing so long
And now must carry so much with me.

My best friend tries to help
She goes through my luggage and tells me “You don’t need this”
And “this will only slow you down.”
But sometimes that just makes things heavier.

She has her own trip to make
And has done her own packing.
She has always been better at that;
Her case is lighter, more efficiently done.

I hope I am not taking too much;
I hope she is not taking too little.
It’s not easy to decide what to carry along
When you don’t know where you are going.

She will probably move faster,
not carrying as much as me.
I wish her well on her journey
And silently hope our paths merge again sometime.

But not now. We have shouldered a load over the years
And still share some weight between us.
I know she will lend some strength to me sometimes
As I will to her, just for a brief rest. But not for long.

Because we are going someplace else, her and I.
Different journeys, by different routes, to different destinations.
We have traveled together as long as we can
And we have been packing all the while.

Perhaps I should have started long ago.
But then what would I have packed?
Because everything I am taking is invaluable to my trip
And she gave it all to me.