BITTERSWEET

Do you still remember? 

Way back then, when our only worry

Was how many mangoes we could collect

Before the light drizzle

Turned into a heavy downpour.

You always got more than me.

 

 We had the time of our lives.

Chasing each other down the street

Back and forth,

Hiding behind the cars

And inside the tiny hut.

The iconic game of endless tag. 

I know you let me win on purpose.

I still remember 

How you made sure 

I was always two steps ahead

And that no matter how fast you ran

I was always just that tad bit

Out of reach.

 

The night skies still flash across my mind.

How you would always point to the brightest star

And call it some variation of our names.

‘It’s the best one out of them all.’

‘It’s always going to be there.’ you said.

Even on a cloudy day,

You would somehow find a star shining through

And remind me of our eternal promise.

‘’Friends forever.’

To think that I believed that. 

 

The countless days we spent

Cycling in the park.

The wind blowing my hair all over the place.

I hated it, until you told me

That it made me look like a superhero.

Ever since then, I’d pedal that little bit faster

So my raven locks flew even more.

I wish I looked back at you 

Just that one more time.

 

The picnics under the maple tree.

Do you remember those?

How we’d always get our favourite snacks.

Yours was peanut butter covered cookies.

I can still picture 

The way your eyes would light up

Every time you ate one of them.

The corners of your mouth twitching up

Into the most satisfied grin.

 

That smile of yours-

It’s imprinted into my brain.

I loved how every time

The sky opened up,

You’d grab my hand, drag me outside

And start dancing under the falling droplets.

‘They’re angel tears,’ you’d say.

How I pray that you were right,

If only it means that now,

When I catch a gentle crystal

As it falls from up above,

I’m connected to a part of you again.

 

The days we’d spend lying in your backyard 

Staring up at the sky.

Carefree, calm, serene. 

You would somehow transform each white blob

Into a fascinating creature

With a story of its own.

We were so naive back then, 

Thinking we had all the time in the world.

 

My favourite memory

Is that one day

When we sat on the swings together.

Holding hands and trying to reach the same height.

Your soft laugh resonated through the park. 

It seemed like the flowers opened a little more,

The trees crouched down

And the grass went onto its tip toes

To hear that sound better. Clearer.

That’s how pure it was,

Exuding happiness. 

Oh what I would give

To hear that one more time.

 

I miss the times 

When we’d randomly look at each other

At the same time

With identical expressions,

One a mirror of the other.

‘Telepathy’ you called it. 

‘An unbreakable connection.’

 

Your eyes always had a fire ablaze in them,

Plotting, planning and creating.

They were filled with poetry. 

If only I had taken the time

To read those words

And memorise the beauty of them.

Images don’t do it justice.

One half of our necklace sits patiently on my neck

Waiting to be reunited.

One day,

It’s wish will be granted.

Until then,

I can only hope you still remember,

Because I will never forget.