Ella

Ella.

You’re like honey

and sunshine,

all rolled into one.

Your laugh is like starlight

and your hair is like

cotton candy,

especially when you dipped it

in sugar

for that spooky Halloween,

when I dressed up in a box.

A red wardrobe to magical things

and we danced and sang,

under the smile of the moon,

as it shone her light on our

sugar-high grins.

You’re my childhood friend.

And oh,

the memories we share,

the fun that we had,

the chaos that we caused.

We still text sometimes,

but it’s not the same.

Because ever since I left beautiful Rwanda

and you packed up to travel

to marvelous places,

I have missed you.

So here,

A few questions of memories past,

I don’t remember much,

my thoughts come and go,

but you already know that.

Do you remember the time,

when you were a bird and I was a card,

we had to memorize songs and lines,

to enter wonderful Wonderland,

where we sang and danced,

to the laughter of our hearts?

Do you remember our adventures,

Easters at your place,

eggs hidden away,

treasure for us to find?

Do you remember the games that we played,

living in garbage cans,

forgotten by the world,

or the dreams that we made,

running with fairies and dragons,

worlds flowing from our fingertips?

Do you remember

laughing at the dramatic boy,

who cried for any reason,

bonking friends on the head

till we got in trouble,

or stealing the football and running away?

We were troublemakers,

You and I,

but oh, the fun that we had.

Do you still have your Sweetooth?

I imagine you do.

Those breaks that you passed,

scavenging for candy and chocolate,

sniffing the boxes of all the children,

till you found a snack you wanted.

Trading and begging,

for anything besides the Swedish foods,

your mother always packed.

You were always there for me,

ready to whisper and giggle

the secrets we shared.

We taunted each other,

making fun of crushes and blushes,

but always teamed up

against anyone who dared

hurt us.

“Back off.”

We were inseparable,

glued to one another,

like lost Siamese twins.

Except on those days,

when the clouds blocked our sun,

and we fought and fought

on the stupidest things.

Like that time we did not speak,

for two months straight,

because you laughed with her

and abandoned me.

And I ignored you,

both of us offended

till my mother came to fix it.

I cried in secret during those times,

Sobbing and hating,

but missing my best friend.

Did you?

In the end we always forgave,

and forgot,

until the next cry of jealousy,

another day spent not speaking,

steaming in silence.

But when the sun came back,

We held hands and danced,

flying high in the clouds

and into the stars,

Where nobody could reach us.

Do you remember,

That last day,

When the sun and moon crashed,

And I was forced to leave

Without you?

That final moment,

where we all held hands,

and cried in silence,

in face of

the inevitable truth.

I left.

And then you left.

And we were no longer together,

but alone on separate paths.

The first year here,

I never slept.

I cried and mourned,

the land of a thousand hills,

and all those friends

I left behind.

But now we text and call.

We grow up far

from each other,

connected by an invisible string

of electricity.

We made plans

for the summer,

but they crashed and burned,

along with the world.

One-

Two-

Three-

Years apart.

How much longer I wonder?

So here, my final question

Do you miss me

like I miss you

and your wonderful smile,

your crazy mind

and sparkling eyes.

Do you miss me?

I know it’ll never be the same,

We're grown now,

Struggling under the weight

of teenagehood.

But I can still hope

and dream

of those warm summer days,

when we danced and sang,

under the smile of the moon.