Dear almost friend

I would have still met you
at our secret place to exchange
our sweet sorrows and star speckled dreams,
to imagine a brave world where we ruled,
free from restrictive curfews
and the necessity of social choice.

How naive were we to believe
we could mould and carve our destiny?
it was laid for me as for you
but i will still give you strength.

I will not compete, I will not complain
I will not act selfish, I will listen
I will give back the love that was duly yours
I will not guard and fence my thoughts
I will pick up the phone to dial your contact to speak to you,
I will not merely be a flickering flashback
in the long reels of bittersweet memories.
after all these years, i will be the friend you needed me to be.

We would still buy coffee
and compare notes on cheap paperbacks.
In the tide of time, you and I will still exist,
as if we are friends and not just like friends.