Friends come and go but family is forever
In other words, pay no attention to these worthless pests
Don't give them the satisfaction of trying to invest
Time, money, effort kindness when deep in their chest
Where the heart should be touched, grateful, inspired their heart has the audacity to request
More.
For it is simply a cunning test to explore where your loyalty truly rests
They despise your keen ambition, resent you at your best
Don't you see that this is life and in life, we play checkers not chess
Because when push comes to shove, you can be certain you'll find yourself dining in the viper's nest
Friends come and go but family is forever
Don't you know nothing is permanent in this forever fleeting life?
And if friends do indeed come and go like the sequential seasons we relish
Yes, we relish the fleeting seasons
We savour the drowsy draughts of wind scattered like the fresh autumn leaves we would spend hours as kids tracing, taping, treasuring the most precious thing mother nature had to offer way back when and Mother Nature continued to bless us with the fluctuating beauty of the seasons
Slippery sleet sweeps us off our feet figuratively and literally in all its icy sleek splendour,
the fragrant aroma of honeysuckle and jasmine luring the transfixed bees like a dog tempted with succulent chunks of meat
torrents of rain easing the pain for those who would watch the sun rise day after day with nothing but dismay, bitter realisation scorching the tongue, because for some the sweltering heat is a painfully precarious push towards destitution
And still, we relish the fleeting seasons which bring us joy
What else is fleeting?
Often comes and goes?
Friendship, the deviously elaborate ploy
Allow me to illuminate, illustrate and inculcate my interpretation of friendship based on a poem dedicated to my friends
A new day
A hummingbird's melodic twittering filtering through the window
Sweet honey to the ear
They say hummingbirds are good luck
But it isn't an elegant and spirited songbird or the steely solidity of a horseshoe or the elusive mystique of a four-leaved clover which I rely on for good fortune and blessings
No.
Because here we are years later and I still can't believe my luck
My luck to have you in my life
A new year is dawning
The first shards of light are already visible, a stark reminder that we are maturing day by day, slowly getting to grips with the world around us
And I know a myriad long to prise themselves off of rules and responsibilities
I know a multitude yearn for an unfiltered taste of the outside world
To inhale the crisp invigorating air we pollute with corruption, jealousy, vengeance, greed and pure irrefutable hatred
Or maybe I'm just being cynical, grasping onto pessimism because it's getting harder and harder to disguise the truth
Because deep down I'm scared
Terrified, even
Growing up means I have to accept the inevitability that we will one day part ways
We'll both begin our new chapters
But why do our chapters have to detach when our fate can be intertwined?
It'll be for the best
You always bring out the best in me so what'll ensue after your departure?
We'll definitely keep in touch
Life is too transient to rely on telecommunication to create rich everlasting memories
It'll be like nothing's changed
Except it has
With every new day that blooms and withers
Every joke I watch you crack, and the ripple of laughter that follows
Every time I watch you instinctively extend your hand to assist another person, and the wave of gratitude which engulfs you
Every time an opportunity arises, you grab it before it slips through your fingers
You dedicate your mind, body, soul your entire spirit, working to shine
But in the end, you don't come close to shining
You gleam; your head held high because where else does it belong?
Your voice sweeter than any silly old songbird's, your theatrics easily putting esteemed actors and actresses to shame, artwork exquisite and unrivalled, musicality enthrallingly euphoric, wit razor-sharp and rejuvenating
And of course, you'd think I'm very clearly being biased or embarrassingly hyperbolic
But after years of watching you find your feet, struggle and strive, swat away setbacks effortlessly
I don't think it's possible to be any prouder
And I know all too well no matter how many times I reassure myself, no matter how many times I blink back the tears, deeply overthink, dangerously assume, impulsively scream in emotional anguish and then award myself a slap for my humiliating stupidity or my aggravating sensitivity
The resistance is futile
Have you ever been asked the million-dollar question at school?
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
The real question is what is your greatest desire in life?
Happiness, wealth, love, freedom
A family
In 10 years, I could be weak with distress, crying myself to nausea, my heart punctured as bullet holes, hollow as a bottomless pit, sorrow draining every other emotion like a colander, each hole representing a newly distant loved one
Dignity is a lost cause and dissociation doesn't seem so deranged
It doesn't matter what I say or do
I will always feel torn as I part with those I love
My heart ruptures at the mere thought of goodbye
I don't know what'll happen a decade, century or a lifetime from now
But I'm certain of one thing
I'm sure as hell not reuniting with you and letting you see a shattered shell of a bright woman with no hope, no worth, no ambition, no mind, no future and no family
I'm gonna numb the pain with dreams not drugs
I'll socialise and form friendships in jobs, not in jail
I'm not going to throw my life away, I'm going to throw myself into life headstrong and hands-on
I know our paths may seem hazy
Fate is an enticing woman of mystery
But I can swear that no matter what life tosses our way, whoever or whatever may drive us apart I'll be here by your side
It's funny, from an exterior perspective we're polar opposites
Contrasting personalities
Which compliment each other perfectly
Sun and moon
Naturally, you begin your day beaming
Beaming your entrancing radiance, providing warmth in the frigid winds of despair, solace in the mournful darkness, the tender sensation of selfless affection soothing the restless, opening eyes which had been shut definitively, melting hearts which had hardened for an age
Morale may be half-hearted, atmosphere lacklustre and dry
Inky melancholy soiling an azure blue sky
Streaming and swirling, and resounding are despondent sighs
But you spurn the desolate bleakness, your spirits still high
And in spite of everything you smile
What a firefly in the dismally drab darkness
What a jewel amongst degraded debris
What a blessing that your aura evokes an inextinguishable fire of passion and power within
What a blessing that your aura restores a remedial ocean of healing or hesychasm, serene solitude or consoling company
What a blessing that your presence is the calm before the storm, the brief break of sun through the clouds
What a blessing that you manage to make every day worthwhile
With scarcely a word
Scarcely a sound
But with a beautiful, revitalising smile
