Should I wait

Should I leave the gate open, just in case, In case the wind carries you back this way? Or has the night swallowed your footsteps whole, Leaving only echoes that refuse to stay? Can I make coffee, or will it be cold? Should I turn the lights off, or let them glow? Should I wait by the fire, where warmth still lingers, Or let the embers burn down slow? I trace the latch with restless hands, Wondering if your light still seeks my door. Or am I guarding an empty space, A shadow of what was, nothing more? If I close it, will you knock too late, Lost in the silence I had to choose? If I wait, will the stars mock my hope, Or whisper that love doesn’t lose? The moon keeps watch, but does it know, If your heart still beats in time with mine? Or have you drifted far beyond, Beyond the reach of love’s old sign? So tell me—do I lock the past behind, Or leave the gate open for you to find?