Goodbye

This is our last night in the old apartment. My list of goodbyes:

Goodbye old apartment, phone number, address
Sink that overflowed my first day of graduate school
Tree out front with huge roots
Square foot of land where I tried to grow flowers
Walls I taped to stop the paint chipping
Cement steps a female firefighter called "hazardous"

Stove that caught on fire

Hardwood floors and large windows
Dining room where we played games with friends
Common area where the cats caught crickets
Basement from which I heard strangers snoring and neighbors doing laundry
Thin walls I heard college kids partying until 3:00 a.m.
Home of our first family with Figaro and Marley
Location where we started again with Sophie and Athena
Living room where we watched so many movies
Computer room where I wrote so many papers
Outside stairs where I sat on pleasant days
Space where we hosted family and friends
Place where we lived eight years
Where Marley died
Where Jonathan started life
Where we grew into our marriage
Where we leave with regret, relief, and more than a few memories.