An Afternoon with a Friend

[Observer]

EDIT: First revision below.
...

We were so close, she and I.
We’d sit cross-legged, face to face,
and simply watch time trickle by.
I asked her how she was feeling
but she’d look at me as if to say
“Do I look like I’m okay?”
Of course, we were both in a dark place.
She used to speak of shaving her scalp and setting off
to where no-one knew her by name or face.

We’d discuss piercings, tattoos, and dyeing hair.
I liked red and she liked blue.
I told her that, if she wanted a tattoo,
it’s something she should think about
because it can't be undone.

She liked the idea of making a statement with her body.

We sat together on the sofa,
her head resting against my shoulder.
I liked these moments most.
Her restless spirit - its love of hair dyed blue,
or no hair at all – was content.
I remember not breathing so I could feel
the movement of her chest.

Sometimes I ponder the wise words of my friend.
I wonder if I could do the same thing:
shave my head, change my name,
just start walking
and shelve my past as if it were only
a book that I’d been reading.
She opened my eyes more than I opened hers.
I miss her dearly.