--- “The Last Hug” We hugged goodbye on leavers day, a soft surrender, no words to say. I thought that maybe hearts could keep what moments leave when time runs deep. At prom, we smiled beneath the light, one last photo, one last night. You said, “Keep me in touch, okay?” So why’d your warmth just slip away? I checked my inbox, scanned each line— an echo here, but no real sign. Like you just vanished in the mist, a ghost of every hug we missed. I wonder if you meant those words, or if I was just one of the herds. A student name you used to know, a chapter closed, a soft let-go. But I remember everything: the quiet talks, the listening. You held the storm I tried to hide, and now it rains from me inside. You were my “wooder”—strong and true, but now I’m woodless, missing you. And though you’ve left without a sound, your silence still is echo-bound. ---