The first time that
I saw you I thought
To myself what a
Perfect stranger too bad
I'll never see him again

But at orientation you
Were there and I
Was sort of surprised
I went up to say hi
And I felt like an idiot

But you were nice
And you said hi back
And I asked if you were
New even though
I already knew that you were

I was secretly very
Pleased that we had almost
All of our classes
Together so I offered to
Show you around the school

You grinned and said
That you'd like that a lot
At that very moment I
wanted to be friends with you
Always and live forever in the fall

I didn't laugh at everything
You said because you weren't
Always funny and I didn't
Always admire your face
Because you weren't always pretty

Sometimes I frowned at you
Because you occasionally
Said hurtful things without
Realizing it and that
Made me sort of sad

When you got mad
Your eyebrows would crease
And you'd get either
Very loud or very quiet and
I never knew which it would be

I hated it when
You acted like you understood
Things that you didn't
Understand like certain
Books or movies or people

And it gave me just
A twinge of annoyance
When you'd burst out
In a laugh that had
Nothing to do with me

But your virtues
Overshadowed your flaws
And I found myself liking you
More and more
By every single useless moment

You were a very complicated
Person who cared so
Much about what other
People thought that you acted
As if you didn't care at all

You listened to The Doors
And The Grateful Dead
Tons of music that I loved
And could never talk about
To my music ignorant friends

You had a clean
Cut style and a hint
Of punk in your clothes
That I adored and
Tried to copy in my own way

But clothing is shallow
And doesn't always show
Who a person is you said
So I stopped caring about
What I wore so much

One time we were
Walking through the park
On the cold cement that
Our beaten up sneakers
Pounded on rhythmically

The lake was slightly
Misty and kids were
Shrieking on the swings
Trees were shamelessly
Undressing in front of each other

A breeze licked my
Cheek and sent a shiver
Up my spine so that
I knew my never ending
Autumn would end soon

All of a sudden
You grabbed my mittened
Hand I got startled and
Pulled my hand out of yours
So that it became awkward

But then I slowly
Slid my hand back
Into yours and it
All got better and
I knew that you forgave me

When we watched an LOTR
Marathon and it was very
Late at night you slumped
Against my shoulder asleep and
Looked so vulnerable that I cried

The time you got
Into a fight because a
Guy disrespected me and
You got punched in the nose
And I beat him up

I wanted to let you know
How thankful I was
For that because no
One had ever fought
Before on my behalf

You didn't care that
People might think
That we were an item
You were just mad that
Someone would act that way

It was a while before
I told you that I played
Cello I was afraid that
You'd want me to play
For you like everyone else

But you said it
Was my music and
I played for you
Bach's Prelude to Suite No. 1

It was the best I had
Ever played I was very
Proud of myself and you
Didn't say anything
You just sat silently

You were one of the
First people who
Truly appreciated my
Music and that mattered
To me more than anything

I almost regretted it
When you dragged me out
To the park where we'd held
Hands and had me play
The cello for all those people

We made $45 that day
And it meant a lot to me
That people would stop
And listen to some mediocre
Kid jam out on the cello

Only you said that I
Wasn't mediocre
But a prodigy I
Laughed and said that
I was no prodigy

Because I really wasn't
I was just some girl
Out on the sidewalk
Playing because her
Friend made her

I guess it was
One of my favorite
Memories that I play
Over and over in
My mind like a record
But the park was
More than just a place
Where we had held
Hands and played cello
It was where I saw you

The very first time
When I thought you were a
Perfect stranger whom
I'd never see again
That was at the park

And when you
Started to lean your
Face very close to mine
And I could see your breath
In the cold air

That was in the park
And I was very scared
At that moment I
Didn't know what to do
Because I was an idiot

So I just ducked
My head down and mumbled
Something about being cold
And took off running
My lungs aching from the chill

You caught up to me
And grabbed my shoulder
And apologized I don't
Know why you apologized
But I'm glad that you did

It wasn't until a whole
Other cold season that
You tried again in the
Park and that time
I didn't run away

When I listened to
The radio one day and
Heard about a bombing
Where over a hundred people
Died for no good reason

You hugged me and I
Didn't push you away
But instead cried and
When I started to hear you
Cry it made it sort of better

You cried in front of me
Only one other time and that
Was when we watched
It's a Wonderful Life
It startled me when you cried

I suppose that to see
My best friend cry came
Sort of as a blow I'd
Always thought to some
Degree that you were invincible

It was wrong of
Me to think so
When I told you
You got mad and told
Me not to be an idiot

You kissed me only
One other time
It was in summer
We were in the park
Wearing shorts and sunglasses

It was only a few seconds
And it was on the lips
But for some reason
I almost turned my face
Away I don't know why

I didn't do it though
Because I would hurt
You and I didn't want
To hurt you in any
Way we were best friends

But I didn't like summer
It was hot and sticky
And it made me feel
Dazed and lazy and
Uncomfortably uncomfortable

I felt awkward in the
Summer young and
Stupid and naive so
It wasn't your fault
That I didn't want the kiss

The day you told me
That you had never
Read The Catcher In the Rye
I freaked out how could
You have never read it

So I decided to read
It to you and we'd sit on
The park bench and I
Would read every word
That Holden narrates

I read every single
Line not caring about
The frowning parents
Or the lingering passerby
I was immersed in the book

At first you didn't get it
And then you didn't like it
And then you got it
And then you liked it
And I was glad

I slept at your house
So many times
And you at mine
We'd stay up till dawn
And then go watch the sunrise

We each slept in sleeping
Bags on the ground
Beside each other never
With each other because
That's not what we were about

We'd act like little kids
And tell spooky stories
Or secrets or share
Useless information
That nobody would ever need

When the sun would come
Up it did so in such an
Ostentatious way that I wanted
To punch it the face
For being such a show-off

But the sunrise always
Sort of scared me
I didn't know what the new
Day would bring
And I hated not knowing

Sometimes we would even
Go to the park to watch the
Sunrise and somehow
It was even more spectacular
As it rose over the lake

On the day that the almost
Tragic thing happened it
Was snowing a bit and I
Felt to shaken up to go to school
Yet you found me in the park

You should be in school
I remarked so should you
You replied and threw a blanket
Around the two of us and smiled
At me and we both grinned

I remember that once we
Had this dream of traveling
Around the world together
But then we realized the world
Was overrated anyway

At school I spent most
Of my time with you
And all the girls made
Snarky comments about
The two of us and bedrooms

And the guys asked
You if you were ever going
To take it from me and you
Got red in the face but they
Thought it was for other reasons

We each had some
Good friends who stuck
Together and fought
Together and probably
Slept together too

But it was mainly
The two of us
Who sat in silence
Surrounded by noise
And that was quiet for us

When I got worried
About what other
People thought you'd
Just say something
Deep and wise

I would forget about
Other people and it
Would just be the
Two of us walking
Around in the park

There was this girl in
The grade beneath
Us who had a huge
Crush on you and
She told me to back off

The day she went up
To you she threw herself
At you and it grossed me
Out the way she made her
Grating voice sultry

You got mad and
Your eyebrows creased
And I wasn't sure if
You would make your
Voice loud or quiet

You made it quiet
And harsh when you
Told her to shut up
And quit being a phony
And get lost

I don't know why but I
Remember that and the
Way she stuck out her
Bottom lip and her eyes
Got huge and sad
Everyone thought that
You were serious about
Me and they didn't
Get why you'd reject a
Hot girl like that

But I understood
And for the rest of
The day you were mad
And we went to the park
And just sat on the bench

I asked you if
You did it because of
Me I knew the reason
Why you did it but
I wanted to hear you say it

But you didn't say
Anything so I stopped
Talking and instead stared
At the perfectly trimmed
Red-tipped yellow roses

And then I stared out
Into the lake when
I turned around you
Weren't sitting down
You were facing away from me

Do you love me
You asked awkwardly
Yes I replied You're my
Greatest friend
No you said Do you love me

I paused I thought
About it and I thought
About it some more
And by the time I finished
Thinking you'd left

I biked over to your
House and I let myself
In through the front
I crossed the hall to
Your room and found you

I lied down on your
Bed beside you
Drawing in a breath
I said I Love you
And you turned to face me

You love me you
Repeated to yourself
You love me you
Love me you love
Me you love me

I do I admitted and
I knew that it was true
That I really did love you
And I might've shown it
Differently than others

But I loved you more
Than I loved even
Myself which was odd
Since I loved myself
So much it was unbearable

I love you you whispered
Into your bed sheets
And you pulled me towards
Your body and into a hug
And you cried for the third

Time in front of me
You cried harder than
You ever did and that
Scared me and comforted
Me at the same time

I woke up the next
Morning and when I
Found myself in your
Bed I hated myself
Until I realize it

You were on the ground
And I was in the same
Clothes from yesterday
And my hair was stiff
From your salty tears

Your mouth was slightly
Open and your body
Was thrown around
Under your makeshift bed
And I smiled as I sneaked
Out of your room

I got to the park
Before realizing that
It had been my
Destination in the
First place

I wasn't surprised when you
Sat down on the bench
Beside me and glanced
At me discreetly
Then looked away quickly

We didn't say anything
We just sat and waited for
The rest of the world to
Wake up and begin its
Routine for the day

You reached out your
Hand and I placed
My hand in yours and I saw
A small smile flicker
Across your pale face

Soon I knew that
The snarky girls at school
Would be gone and so would
The dirty-minded boys
And I was sort of sad

What if we would have to leave
Each other but we would never
Would we I hoped not
But it was just wishful thinking
Everything comes to an end

Where would we go from
Here would we go anywhere
To another town another city
Another state but I didn't want
To go I didn't want to leave you

As if you were reading my mind
You snapped off one of the yellow
Red roses and handed it
To me saying friends?
Yes I replied Friends