Fundamental

Nine years ago, I met her.

My best friend, forever,

I thought.

Nine years of hugs and late night

Deep conversations.

We shared the same soul,

Though on the outside,

No two people were different.

A fiery, blonde, blue eyed shorty

And me, a tall, nervous brunette.

For nine years, we never argued.

Or rather-

I never argued with her.

Not when she cut off our friends...

Or made bad decisions...

I stayed quiet.

I gave her all the love I could.

It blinded me.

Then came a summer when

We didn’t talk for weeks.

I made new friends

They let me speak my mind.

 And the next time I saw her, she was angry.

“Why didn’t you text?”

“Why didn’t you get in touch?”

“What on earth could you possibly be doing

That’s more important than me?”

The guilt I felt was immense.

So, I vowed to make more time for her.

But a curtain had been lifted.

Suddenly, each nasty remark

Sounded like nails on a chalk board.

Our souls were no longer the same.

Thing I thought we

Agreed on, without question...

Were suddenly wrong.

I couldn’t argue with her.

I was stifled, as I’d been for nine years.

But now,

It was unbearable.

The girl I loved was no longer

The girl who stood before me.

Our friendship, our nine-year-old friendship,

Had died.

I didn’t attend the funeral.

I had always thought our differences

Were superficial.

I didn’t notice when they became

Fundamental.

I still think about her.

Remembering the girl she used to be.

Maybe she thinks the same

About me.

We grew up together

But we’ve grown apart now.

Sometimes growing isn’t easy...

It can hurt.

But through the pain, we can find something

That makes it worthwhile.

Ourselves.