At The End of Autumn

On the last day of school, we held hands
On the playground, me and my best friend,
Promising that we would never forget
He was a boy and I was a girl
But not a "we"
Because he and I were
Only six years old
And at that age
The most complex thing
That would ever occur
Between a him and a her
Was deciding who would have
The bigger "half" of the brownie
That we shared when the sun
Smiled from directly above our heads

I saw him again the other day
I wonder when he got taller than me
Were his eyes always green,
His hair so gold?
(Like the autumn leaves among which he lay)
I wondered if he was still the same
If he was still my partner-in-crime
That always complained that I had the bigger piece
But still laughed and let me have my way
I smiled, waved to him
(Please remember, please)
And
He grinned back, his eyes glowing
Sweet enough to break a cherub's heart
And that boy that I had come to love
Said, "Nice to meet you."

That friendship that I hoped
Would ace the test of distance and time
Had been carried away on a chilly wind
At the end of autumn.
I realized that
Ten years is a long time
And memories fade
But that love remained in my heart.
Maybe at the start of next autumn,
We'll be smiling, sharing brownies
I'll let him have the bigger half,
But only once.