Prism

Friendship comes in all colors –

The sparkling color of children laughing as they tell secrets,

Or the rich shade of siblings exchanging smiles across the dinner table.

The vibrancy of teenagers cruising in a car with the windows rolled down,

Or the saturation of tears against a shoulder,

One hugging the other over a broken heart.

There is the illumination of adult conversation,

Blurred tones of decadence in a crowded bar.

The intensity of a mature bond between parent and offspring.

Sometimes the color of friendship

Is the color of sunrise, a furtive glance across a campus,

Sharing a midday kiss in the sizzling Far East,

Or the hue of holding hands in the sun-drenched hills of Tuscany.

Then there is the glow of an island wedding,

The bride and groom blended in the blush of love.

So many colors, but with friendship

There is no need to choose just one

As if it’s the paint on the walls of a first home.

No store sells the color of friendship;

It is priceless, like the color of happiness,

Or dedication, loyalty, trust, or

Hard work.

It’s all a rainbow:

Everyone sees his or her own arc

Made from sharp light against darkened sky.

But friendship, rounded as a rainbow, must always have

Two ends to exist, to keep it grounded,

Even as it soars – a

Me

And a

You.

Congratulations to my Lorelei!