Friends Forever

Childhood friends

You, like my big brother:

Just like in a storybook, we grew up

As family

And wanted

More.

I loved foot races because I was the fastest,

But you always hit the baseball

Over my head.

The robbers always got away when we were a team,

No cops could catch us.

I would brush your hand

When I reached for a Coke.

Our knees would touch when we sat on the floor

Playing video games.

I held my breath

When you grabbed my hand to pull me up into the tree.

We played all the boy games.

And, sometimes, you’d consent to a tea party.

When we were teenagers

My mother worried

That I didn’t have any girl friends.

She bought pink jeans

I cut them off at the knee.

She painted my nails

I bit them off.

I was her story, but

She couldn’t revise me. I was already published.

I had a best friend,

The noise of tanks filled the house.

Windows broke and were replaced.

I noticed how much stronger you were.

When did that happen?

Bloodied in a bike crash,

I couldn’t walk,

You carried me home.

You went all the way back for my bike,

In the rain.

Even Mom liked you.

You brought me flowers.

Sitting on the porch

With my scraped leg up

And my wrist wrapped in bandages,

I had never been happier.

There were roses on the table.

For my sixteenth birthday

You made me dinner

Spaghetti and meatballs

Just like in Lady and the Tramp.

My favourite.

Homemade garlic bread,

Your grandmother’s recipe.

Sparkling apple cider.

Candlelight.

My own personal movie.

When we turned seventeen

Everyone knew I couldn’t breathe

When you looked into my eyes.

In the stories, it works out.

The boy realizes

He has always loved the girl next door,

With the long copper hair

And the bright green eyes.

The girl confesses her undying devotion

And there is always a happily-ever-after.

I have read all of the stories.

My life is not a story.

You moved away,

I lost my best friend.

I lost my true love.