National Poetry Writing Month, Day 11:An Ode to Best Friends

I once used to scoff at those girls who cried as they hugged their friends and said goodbye
but now that I’m here, and now that it’s us-
these years that we’ve had are just not enough.
We’ve held hands and touched hearts, shared thoughts, jokes and many laughs;
From sometime when we were four
(I think I hated you in the beginning- I barely remember anymore)
You’ve been my closest friend, (my cruelest critic)
and the sister of my soul.
Times have been good, times have been bad
and at times, our tremulous friendship was all that we had;
but every trial and squabble and bump in the path
brought us closer together, built us to last.
From an age of hand-cricket and eating contests
to board exams and life choices-
we’ve been together every step of the way
and without you, who I might’ve become, I cannot say.
So as we stand here today, at eighteen years old
on the cusp of adulthood and real life- cruel and cold,
facing the future and all it has to bring,
I want you to remember just one little thing:
We can be apart for years on end
and still remain the best of friends.

Written by Rupa Neelakantan