A poem entitled The Prelude Years

The Prelude Years

When you share another person’s childhood

And tumultuous teenage years

You see something rare and beautiful

That will never be seen again

Because there is a purity to those years

That will never recur

Before life has gotten to you

Before children and spouses

And other larger pursuits

Encompass your world

There is just you

And maybe a sibling or friend

To share nights

Of drinking too much coffee with

And only after eleven lattes

And a game of ball

Do you realize how unfortunate four a.m. is

I know four a.m. intimately

As I jealously realize you are asleep

Again

I hate you in that moment until

I take to your bookshelf and read

The tales you read yourself as a child

Nightmares and Dreamscapes

My old familiar friend

And so apropos for these strange times

When my nightmare is home

So I sleep on your floor

And the objects in my pocket

Take up room on your nightstand

I wonder as to what your nightmares are?

Are they made up of the way

That people look

When they underestimate you?

No, this is reality often enough

Why should is take up space in your sleep?

Or do your nightmares fade?

In comparison with your dreams

That you dream

With the imagination of a child

I cannot even begin to suspect

What that means for you

Not in a world

Where for my every nonsense

You have logic

And for my every dramatic tear

You have an answer

I see how we have grown up

And say things like

“Who would have thought?”

When the truth is

Me

I would have

It is no surprise to me or those who knew us

That you grew up to have children

And I remain the eternal child

A poem entitled The Inner Circle: Where inside jokes that other people won’t get live

The Inner Circle: Where inside jokes that other people won’t get live

An Ode to Cid

The outer level of inner circle is where most people end their journey

Be it the way of the world, lack of trust, or treachery

Sometimes friendship crashes into enemy

Especially when you make the unfortunate decision

To not present a shrubbery

And God forbid

If when you did

There was not a mongoose within

You will be ejected

Neglected

And the journey would end

But provide the objects of honor and say the words of power

Beware memorization for they change twice an hour

If you can do those things then begins the true quest

To cautiously become a friend you must complete the test

It is not standardized, multiple choice, or essay form

You can try those things

Including answering favorite color and name

But the test is on the curve of loyalty

And ability to weather the storm

Of chaos that is friendship

And I don’t always have to be cleverness and quip

WAFFLES!

Friends love you

Even if all you have to say are breakfast foods

And you can be a genius that fails at the simple things

It matters not to me

In fact I will like you better for your flawed abilities

I mock you, you mock me

You maim my puppet but no hard feelings

(No, Jack I said no hard feelings.

You do not hate him!

Yes, I will get you a peg leg

Yes, for your forgiveness I am sure he will beg

Now can I get back to writing this?

Thank you

Yes, you can a have a cuddle and a kiss… from Cid)

See? Because sometimes friendship is defined by its difficulty

In fact, a cult, is a good way to think

Of that feeling you get when your friend won’t go away

When they are taunting you with puns on your worst day

And your are in no mood for silliness and word play

That is until you think of one of your own

Then the game begins and never ends

And you remember that friendship is home

Deities bless the inner circle

Where so few of us reside

But with tentativeness and an asterisk bless

I will ask this

Will you let me in yours if I let you in mine?