Friend

Friend

Friend 

Surprised chubby fingers,

Wiped salty tears,

From childhood cheeks.

Childish pranks,

Aggrieved sniffles,

Taking refuge

In cold lunch boxes.

Growing up,

Foraging friendships,

And arch-enemies,

Bloody vows

 

And giggly secrets,

Strong bonds were 

Forged in noisy school corridors,

And sports fields! 

Year after year,

Those ships sunk 

And surfaced,

Unknowing support,

Unacknowledged,

But aware,

Growing up was a nightmare

Of sorts!

Years later,

Arthritis fingers,

Strong nevertheless,

Wiped grief and disappointment,

From weathered cheeks,

Clasped hands in delight too,

In good times and bad,

A silent show of strength,

At length.

Through the years,

The bond did grow,

Distances, merely

A technicality,

A spouse or a child 

Were an opportunity,

But a friend 

Is an absolute necessity!