For A Friend

You look so perfect to everyone else
Pretty
Pristine
With beautiful candy-floss hair
Once dyed a vibrant red
Now
Steadily fading
Back to your natural golden blonde
You get good grades
You have good manners
You are considered shy by most-
Boy, they don’t know you
Like I do
Otherwise
What would they see?
Would they see what I see?
Would they know what I know?
And see past your perfection
Into
A troubled family life
One you are frustrated with
A stepmother/dictator
Who frequently tells you
Things that are not true
Things
That
Make
You
Hurt
And then when I call you
I must reassure you
You are not dumb
Or useless
Or indeed a waste of space
You are a beautiful
Intelligent
Witty
Organised
Tidy
Talented
Young person
One of the most understanding people
I have ever met
In my entire life
Best friend
Please don’t let
Anyone
Anywhere
Get you down
If they cannot see
How truly wonderful you are
They cannot see
Hear
Or indeed think
I’m lucky to have you
As I indeed know
I’ll always be here
And one day
It might be you and me
Together
Against the world
But we will laugh
And smile at each other
Because
If we can talk
Nothing
And
No one
Can hurt us