I remember it like it was yesterday.
I sat, nervous, twiddling my thumbs
On that cold, hard blue chair.
You were a table away from me,
Wearing a bright yellow top and bermuda shorts.
"Find someone new and tell them about yourself.
Make a friend," the teacher prompted.
It seemed as if that were nearly impossible:
Every face in the room was new to me.
I was a small rabbit in a cage of hungry lions-
Awkward, uncomfortable, vulnerable, and out of place.
I couldn't remember ever feeling so alone.
But then, you came over and introduced yourself
With a friendly "Hello"
And I couldn't have been happier.
You told me you had more siblings than you could count on two hands
And that you liked to wrestle,
A real tomboy you were.
We saw the world in two very different ways
And I loved it.
From that moment in the fourth grade on,
We were the best of friends.
You spent countless hours at my house
And we could talk for days.
I loved to share my clothes with you.
But two wonderful years later, the tables turned.
Our classes changed and we saw less of each other
You stopped answering my phone calls
And I always got the voicemail
You didn't think our inside jokes were funny anymore
You made new friends who were more like you
Every day you became more distant
You turned into a person I don't know
I couldn't see through you anymore
I had nobody to share my feelings with
You never told me your secrets
I'd never missed any one so much
And now,
Now I just want to be your best friend again
And I-
I must remain calm, for both of us.
As I'm sure you can see,
We're both broken people now.
We need each other to lean on.
If you don't want to be close this time around,
I'll be sad, but I'll understand.
I just want you to know
That my arms are open wide
If you ever want to come back home where you belong.