The cat slips through the open door,
A ghost in the moonlit garden,
Leaves rustle in a whispered farewell,
While the clock halts at twelve.

Stars flicker in the vast, distant sky,
An echo of something once familiar,
I watch from a window, unseen,
As time pauses, holding its breath.

The night stretches into endless quiet,
A gentle reminder of what remains,
Not all things need to return,
For longing doesn't demand its due.