Drifting apart

Drifting apart

How the vocabulary of friendship changes,
One that began with shared benches,shared lunches,
Sealed with the exchange of toffee foil rings,
Friends all around, what joy the memory brings.

Shared notes, feverish quizzes before tests,
Secret crushes that only the best friends knew best,
Conversations that couldn't wait,
Shared in traffic over the din,
Where one could finish the sentences that the other did begin,

Growing up , journey to our own fortunes in different ways,
Sudden phone calls still filled with plenty to say,
The delighted occasional meeting,
Yet, below the surface,the differences were seething

Moved away to different but similar houses,
Found directions  with respective spouses,
The tasks, the chores, the family soon overwhelmed,
And the regular connection stemmed

Now we meet in social media posts
A like on a picture , perhaps a friendly poke,
The conversations yawn,trying to bridge the gaps of many years,
Yet finds comfort in knowing we are both still here,
Sometimes at the change, the heart wrenches
A journey from best friends to close friends to friends to acquaintances,

And yet through the deluge and the ebb of feeling
We find we care about each other's well being
And perhaps that is the treasure of friendship
Not the time, the connection, the conversation,the said and unsaid fears,
But the knowledge that you matter, to someone over the years.

--shubha