Erased Before Goodbye

Memories made in play,
players set upon the board.
A move, a kick, a dodge, a tag.
We children live for the game,
and the game lives in us,
light in our smiles, lift in our hearts.

The sun stretches from the horizon,
but we know it is the smile
that begins each new day.
The smile hands its torch to laughter,
illuminating the sun itself.
The game begins, and life renews.

Do we play as we live?
Or live as we play?
Do we borrow from one,
Or does one conceal the other?
True to its essence, time dissolves,
troubles vanish, paradise now.

Yet the world waits,
shadows pressing at the edges
of grass and cement.
Deny, turn away, delay
but they never forget us—
They kick the board,
And hide the balls away.

No game lasts forever.
All end in their chosen time.
But in this moment, time is myth,
Until a call in the wind,
Summoning by full name,
Hand waves flashing,
breathless goodbyes,
a sprint, a straight-line home.

I turned my eyes for just a breath,
And they were gone.
Erased before goodbye.
Games end when they end:

Morning, midday, evening,
unexpected, always too soon.

Pieces on the board,
hiders, seekers, sprinting, swerving.
It matters not if the sun is high.
Pieces slip from the board,
runners stumble, tumble.
Love is no shield,
in the end, the sun sets on us all.

By: Lamont Neal

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Lamont Neal is a memoirist, philosophical storyteller, poet, and African-American father whose writing explores identity, transformation, and emotional legacy. His memoirs For Chloe and A Thinner Life capture moments of profound self‑discovery, from a nine‑year weight loss journey as a metaphor for reclamation to letters written to his daughter about love and inheritance. An I.T. professional with degrees from Truman University and the University of Missouri–St. Louis, he is also a lifelong student of history, martial arts, and boxing. Through his work, Lamont shares his journey of self‑discovery, believing he is not alone, and that others may find resonance in his story.