A Lost Star

I remember the first hug you gave me out of joy

Second grade

You made it to the art show

Your smile made me smile for weeks

That night we went to the park

The one across the street

You loved to sit on the top of the tallest slide

It was our tower

We sat there until your mom called you home

I remember looking into your eyes

Blue like the morning sky

Visible even in the dark of the night

You were my day in the night

I remember the first hug you gave me out of fear

Fifth grade

We were walking home

We both missed the bus

There was fresh snow with more falling down

You were slipping

Your eyes were wide with fear

You were falling

But I caught you

You held onto me so tight

You wouldn’t let go until we got to the park

We stayed there

We didn’t go home until 11:30pm that day

You wanted to see the stars

The stories you would tell me

The more alive the stars became

I remember the first hug you gave out of sadness

Junior year

You got called down to the office

We were in history class

When you came back

I saw you fall to the ground

I couldn’t catch you

You fell so fast I couldn’t get out of my chair in time

The teacher let me sit with you in the hallway

No words came out of your mouth

All you did was hug me

Hugged me so tight

I couldn’t breathe

But you needed me and I was not going to let you go

You passed me a note

Asking to meet

I had to sneak out that night

But I got to see you

You asked if I remembered the stories you told about the stars

The knights of the night

I couldn’t forget

You brought the stars to life

You tried to hide your tears

Your eyes were lights from miles away

But tonight, they were cloudy

The moon pulled the ocean from your eyes

I hugged you

I hugged you out of fear

I hugged you with everything I had

I hugged you to tell you I loved you

You laid in my arms on top of the slide

You wanted to hear a story with the stars

Just like you had done before

I told a story

The story of the two kids

The two kids who would search the world

For answers to life's greatest wonders

You fell asleep in my arms

I carried you home

Before I let go

You hugged me like never before

The emotion unexplainable

It was confusion

It was sadness

It was love

And it was the last

I remember the last hug you gave me

Little had I known at the time it was the last

You weren’t at school the next day

Your mother didn’t answer the door

Your father didn’t return my calls

You were gone