We were friends

(sort of)

Your defiant blond hairs

    bobbed

        laughed at my jokes

Your steel blue eyes

    weren’t afraid

        of what I had to say

People didn’t get us

You were

    Blunt

            Unapologetic

                  Wild

                          A good listener

I was

    Careful

        Meek

            Observant

                You were hiding

                behind your pain

                I was sure of it

                I had been there

                once

                myself

A bitter winter day

Christmas break

After swim practice

I thrusted a drawstring bag into your hands

    Walked away

        Heart thrumming like a hummingbird’s              fragile            wings

I took a shower

Waited

    impatiently

for the dark judgment that was sure to come

Paused.

I gave in

Fingers trembling

Froze.

“Did you like it?”

 

 

                    eternity.

 

 

“You made me cry. Twice.”

Breathed.

My words. Had. Power.

I was building

            kingdoms   

             bridges

                                                friendship

And then

His brown leather book

In my hands

Returning the favor.

    Illustrated poetry

                    (Sometimes just the illustration part)

He was dark   

                                            I was light

He was suffering                                   

I was healing

He was lost

                                            I was found

A trade                    (Trying on new shoes)

The words we couldn’t                    

(or wouldn’t)

say face

to

face. Our hearts       

hopes           

dreams

(It feels good to be understood)

 

People didn’t get us.