Friendship should
Have rules,
Or perhaps not;
It certainly appears
To be bound,
By unspoken tenets
That bind friends
To each other.
And every so often,
It so happens,
That a wide eyed,
Slightly bewildered child,
Is let out
Into this arena,
And that they’re quite
Unprepared,
To bond with,
A motely group
Of their peers.

They try their best,
Playing games,
Holding hands,
Being called names,
Fielding fistfuls of sand
Hurled at their face;
Standing alone,
With a stub of coupons,
On a carnival ground,
Not quite knowing
Which way to go,
Their heart goes cold,
And lonely, their soul,
Despite the warmth
And camaraderie,
On display all around.

They grow up,
Not knowing
What they lack,
If they knew,
They’d try every hack;
Perhaps it’s in not
Having the knack,
To let loose
Their body and mind,
And choose
Not the quiet,
But the wild.

Image Credit: Photo by Mihai Vlasceanu on StockSnap