I’ve always been curious about the idea of time travel—not in the science-fiction sense of flying cars or time machines, but in the deeply personal longing to return to a moment that meant everything. If it were possible, I would go back to a time when my mother was still alive and healthy. She passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I never had the chance to see her one last time—not during her final moments, not even when she was laid to rest.

That absence haunts me. It’s a goodbye that never happened, a wound that never truly closed.

This longing is what inspired me to write one of my most personal songs: “Goodbye Without Goodbye.”

Goodbye Without Goodbye
by Simpleman

I called your name but heard no sound
The echoes lost in hollow ground
You left so fast without goodbye
I never saw your final light

How do I hold what wasn’t there
A final glance a single prayer
The pain cuts deep it lingers on
A love so strong but now you’re gone

I see your face in dreams at night
A fleeting warmth a fading light
I reach for you but you’re not near
A mother’s love still crystal clear

The shadows dance where you once stood
I’d trade the world for one more look
To tell you all I couldn’t say
The words I lost that final day

How do I hold what wasn’t there
A final glance a single prayer
The pain cuts deep it lingers on
A love so strong but now you’re gone

I’ll keep your voice inside my chest
A melody that brings me rest
Though I missed that last goodbye
You’ll live in me no need to cry

I know you’re gone
No… ohhh…

I’ll keep your voice inside my chest
A melody that brings me rest
Though I missed that last goodbye
You’ll live in me no need to cry

How do I hold what wasn’t there
A final glance a single prayer
The pain cuts deep it lingers on
A love so strong but now you’re gone

I’ll keep your voice inside my chest
A melody that brings me rest
Though I missed that last goodbye
You’ll live in me no need to cry

Ohhh… No need to cry
Ohhh… No need to cry

Through its lyrics, I tried to capture the silence, the helplessness, and the aching desire to hold onto something—or someone—that’s already gone. Every word in that song is a piece of my heart, and a tribute to a love that still echoes in my life.

So yes, I’m curious about time. About whether we can somehow touch the past—not to change it, but to relive a moment, say what was left unsaid, and hold someone close, even just once more. Maybe that’s why music exists—for people like me who can’t go back, but still need a way to remember.

#dailywritingprompt #simpleman #timetravel