Final goodbye

In our hug My body shakes As it strikes me That this is the last. This is goodbye. No sleepovers That fill the house With endless screeching, Inside jokes and continuous laughter. No horror movies Encouraging the thrills and scares While one sits upright, Unaffected by the terrors adorning the screen. No pillow fights forced upon us As the other grabs a pillow and starts hitting, A constant repetition of ‘pillow fight’ Until they can’t breathe. No painting nails or the face masks that never got done. No outings together Where exploration is done, pictures are snapped And enjoyment is had. No more fights for the front seat That end with one winner. No dumb jokes from me That is followed by one laugh; The only appreciator of the terrible humour. Family gatherings of that side Will never be the same. There will be dread as we go Because there are cliques within And ours has been snatched from our grasp. No more dishing of drama From the tea fairy herself. We had our last sleepover, One final outing was missed But the clique was together At that last family gathering Of a big celebration. The last of the tea Had been dished to the group. One final meal And the last in-person hug As we bid them goodbye With tears in our eyes. Its goodbye To another set of cousins. Now its our turn.