Remember that day?

Remember that day?

The day before

The day before

You went away?

Remember this day

When we were in your room

Trying to save

Your beloved wall of posters

From the dreadful shock of tape

Remember the way

I played

With your

Etch-a-sketch?

Making long lines

Into bars and crosses

Until the whole thing was black

Just to smile and say,

“Look,

I drew a picture of the view

from your new window

of your new room;

Its at night.”

“I’m gonna miss you,”

You say

But that’s okay,

I’d have to kick your ass if you didn’t.

Remember when you called to say

“Guess what they have in Tehachapi?”

“I don’t know…

What?”

“Gravel purifying plants

And ostrich farms”

“Why does gravel

Need to be purified?”

“I DON’T KNOW!”

We can’t be the only ones

That know,

That purified gravel

Is glorified dirt.

We had both been thinking about that day

That day to come

That came and went,

That day I saw your home

Shrunken and empty

With the furniture being led out

And into the back of a truck

One by one, piece by piece,

Single file.

I thought how much it sucked

To not be able to be

With my best friend.

You thought how much it sucked

To have your life uprooted

Because your landlady’s

Stupid son, stupid sixty-year old slug of a son

Needed some place cheap,

Cheap like the both of them.

But they’re old

And will die soon anyways,

And I’m not just saying that

Because they’re jerks.

You needed a place to live too.

You had it,

You then had it taken away.

“Just for two years

Then I’m outta there,”

You say.

Remember the day?

THE day

That day your family left?

Remember what you promised me?

That you wouldn’t spite that stupid place

With caustic bitterness

That you would make (at least)

One new friend

--Don’t make me worry

Whether you’re lonely or not--

And if all else failed,

You’d try to tame

One of those stupid ostriches,

And ride it like a victorious cowboy

Off into the sunset,

And back here ,

So we can chill

Every once and awhile.