Where are you now, when I need you most?

In kindergarten,
You were infested with contagious cooties,
But I overlooked them,
That time you were getting picked on.

You were crying,
And I held my hand out.
The second our tiny, fragile hands touched,
We were best friends.

In fourth grade, we raced pop cans down the stream,
Our innocence floating alongside them.

Our imaginations roamed when we did,
Becoming adventurers, pirates and spies.

What adventures do you have now?

Remember that day I called you,
During “the best years of our lives”
And my words were barely recognizable?

I told you that I had just watched my dog’s life
Being taken away by a needle.
You talked me through it
As I cried on your lumpy couch,
Feeling so at home.

Do you even remember?

My car smashed into someone else’s,
I fell apart just like the car.
No one knew that I was broken inside,
Except you.

You gave me the biggest, longest hug,
And you
Held me together.
But where are you now?

You’ve been through everything with me,
My ups and downs,
Through heartbreak and happiness.

But where are you now?
You left me to become someone else.