No Need to Say Goodbye — a thought process, a memory, a nostalgia.

SOFIA IHSAN | CREATIVES

It came to me in waves;

the unwinded vacations,

yawns and packets of chips

and chocolates littered across the couches.

The insides of my ears ached and I removed the plug-in

earphones.

The whirring of the plane engine sounded opposite to the

faint melody coming out of my earphones, loud and

disturbing.

I plugged them back in.

I closed my eyes.

The high notes stung my ears and like the

sharp joys of summer 10’s karaoke, I felt

my heart beating a little faster.

The chorus,

the plane ascending into the air,

my heart pulsing,

and my suppressed tears no longer contained.

I covered my mouth.

The sinking melody,

the instrumental bridge and my own whimpering —

the monsoon melancholy felt like a happier time.

The poignant instrumental descended into gentle,

soothing lyrics that felt both like the winter sun and the

north wind chills.

My whimpering had stopped.

Hopelessness lingered in the atmosphere.

The sweet melody somehow felt bitter.

I wiped my tears and opened my eyes, staring at the

buildings that turned into dots as the plane ascended

higher.

The end chorus finished and yet kept ringing in my

ears; “No need to say goodbye…”