in kindergarten your idea of a good friend was the person
who let you have the red crayon when all that was left was the ugly black one.

in 1st grade your idea of a good friend was the person
who went to the bathroom with you and held your hand
as you walked past all the older kids.

in 2nd grade your idea of a good friend was the person
who helped you stand up to the class bully.

in 3rd grade your idea of a good friend was the person
who shared their lunch with you when you when you forgot yours.

in 4th grade your idea of a good friend was the person
who was willing to switch dancing partners in gymnastics
so you didn’t have to be stuck dancing with nasty nick.

in 5th grade your idea of a good friend was the person
who saved you a seat at the back of the bus for you.

in 6th grade your idea of a good friend was the person who
went up to nick, your new crush, and asked them to dance with you
so that if they said no, you wouldn’t have to be embarrassed.

in 7th grade your idea of a good friend was the person
who let you copy the maths homework from the night before that you forgot to do.

in 8th grade your idea of a good friend was the person
who helped you pack up your stuffed toys so that your roomwould be a
“high schoolers” room, but didn’t laugh at you when you finished and broke out into tears.

in 9th grade your idea of a good friend was the person
who went to that “cool” party thrown by the seniors
so you wouldn’t end up being the only junior there.

in 10th grade your idea of a good friend was the person
who changed their schedule so you would have someone to sit with at lunch.

in 11th grade your idea of a good friend was the person
who gave you a ride in their new car, convinced your parents
that you shouldn’t be grounded, consoled you when you broke up
with nick, and found you a date to the formal.

in 12th grade your idea of a good friend was the person
who helped you pick out a college, assured you that you’d get in,
helped you deal with your parents who were having a hard time
adjusting to the idea of letting you go.

at graduation your idea of a good friend was the person
who was crying on the inside but managed to give you
the biggest smile that one could give as they congratulated you.

now, your idea of a good friend is still the person
who gives you the better of the two choices, holds your hand
when you’re scared, helps you fight off those who try to take
advantage of you, thinks of you at times when you’re not there,
reminds you of what you have forgotten, helps you put the past
behind you but understands when you need to hold onto it a little longer,
stays with you so that you have confidence, goes out of their way to
make time for you, helps you clean up your mistakes, helps you deal with
pressure from others, smiles for you when they are sad, helps you become
a better person, and most importantly, loves you.