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The ones who leave never really leave.

They linger in echoes, in old footprints,

In words once spoken but never forgotten.

 

And the ones who stay—

They don't really stay.

They fade in pieces, slowly and gradually,

Until one day, they are here,

But not really here at all.

 

Leaving is not walking away.

Staying is not holding on.

Everything fades.

Some fast. Some slow.

But in the end,

Everyone goes.

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Sriparna Mitra is a poet and writer from India with a Master’s degree in English Literature and Language and a B.Ed. She has also qualified for NET JRF. Her works have appeared in the international anthology, Paradise on Earth: an International Anthology Volume II , and she is a recurring contributor to Double Speak, where her poems have been previously published. You can explore more of her work on Instagram: @sriparna_1996mitra.