We are all born into this world
Free from preconception
A simple blank canvas
To sketch life’s future upon

Progression through childhood
And into your teens
These extraordinary moments
Add colour to the canvas

That instance when your so-called best friend
Stabs you in the back for the first time
Saving face, she calls it
Cuts deep like a knife

Your first love, the secrets you share
Don’t tell anyone is what we agreed
It’s all over the playground now
The truth, the shame, my secret

The trust you impart to those who are close
The ring of faith with no beginning, no end
Someone callously chipped at the sphere
Not a ring anymore; but a broken loop that never heals

She’s just a friend or so he says
I’ve seen them together but say naught
The anguish I see etched on my mum’s face
When she asks “Is she the first one?”

The cover ups & lies, the deceit & the pain
All part of growing up & finding your way
Learning from your faults & those inflicted upon you
Completes the canvas of your life story

But do you know what hurts the most?
The one that never got the chance to learn
The one that never had the opportunity to say sorry
The one that never had the opening to love
The one that left too early to make an impact on your life
The one that wished they’d stayed behind
The one that didn’t say goodbye
The one we’ll always remember with a smile….