We were 6 when we became fast friends.
I loved her spunk. She loved my loyalty -
I think - we would stay up all night
slumber partying to Kenny Rogers,
The Gambler, gambling when we could
Escape the house - into the dark to
Walk the 3 short blocks to Bobby's house
My true love - She risked so much for me and
My stupid crush - it crushed me when she
was taken away from me like the time
Mr. Barf-in-the-field grabbed her by the arm,
Dragged her through the hallway, shirtless,
Not hearing her side of the story.
These injustices were just a few of the
Things I witnessed in her life.
I was 6, 7, or 8 and I kept seeing these
Atrocities done to her and her siblings and
I could do nothing but pray - and yet that
Seemed hollow and they went unanswered, and
It enraged me and made her rage - all the way to
The Principal's office, shirtless, squeaking out
Her high pitched story - 6, 7, or 8 years old and
No one knew, but me and a few others.
Why is it that the frequency at which children speak
Adults can't hear it - don't hear it, don't want to
Listen to what's there even if they have to wade
Through the crap that stinks, that seem like lies, to
Find, discover, uncover the truth like the blankets
We threw off ourselves to roam the streets so
Dangerously late at night to selfishly pursue
MY LOVE?
I will always love this friend, her resilience,
her spunk - we escaped through the window in
The living room - one of the rooms she lived in
That she had to survive too many injustices only to
Hide it all beneath a veneer of hostility directed at
Many because so few cared...
Jen-Jen, I cared and I still do - I don't think you'll ever
Realize how much your friendship meant to me.
Yeah, we were just babies really, delivered to different
Families and homes and circumstances - but we were
Delivered to each other as friends... I hope you've
Experienced justice being exacted in your life,
The justice I wish I could have provided when we
Met at 6 and saw you needed at 7 and 8 and...
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