Searching
Poetry
Once there was a little girl
Who couldn’t find a friend.
No matter how she begged or cried
She couldn’t seem to win.
So many children would pass by,
Happy and content.
All she could do was wonder why
She couldn’t find a friend.
One day she has a bright idea,
It’s so good that she could cry.
She hummed and skipped, she couldn’t walk;
it’s too brilliant to pass by.
She took her pocket money out
And danced into the store.
When the owner brought all the candy out,
She begged him still for more.
‘I have an urgent problem you see,
There’s only one solution.
I must buy these boys and girls a lot
If my hope’s to come to fruition.’
The man looked at her, his eyes so sad.
He’s seen it all before.
‘I’ll tell you something, take it or leave it,
Then you can hit the door.’
The girl looked at him, her eyes real big
‘Why sir, what do you have to say?’
‘Pull up a chair, this will take a minute,
But you’ll get the point today.
When you walk outside, see other boys and girls,
What is it you really see?’
‘I guess I see their happiness?’
‘Or, is that what they want you to believe?’
‘Whatever do you mean good sir?’
The girl cried in disbelief.
The man nodded his head and stood beside her,
‘That’s right, they’ve got no real relief.
See they’ve been right where you are,
Trying to trade something for love.
But what they all failed to note,
Is you can’t find friends if you don’t think you’re enough.’
The girls eyes widened
as she thought about his words
‘But sir I’m clearly not enough,
And it’s often why I’m hurt.’
He shook his head and sighed real big
This one is going to take a lot.
Then going behind the counter instead,
He comes out with a lemon drop.
‘Now look real close, my little dear.
Do you see this little candy?’
She nods her head and asks ‘why’s it so special?’
‘I’ll tell if you just let me!
What makes a lemon drop so special,
Is that it’s comfortable knowing what it’s not.
It will never be gum, a peppermint,
Or even a lollipop.
It knows it’s true value, it’s claim to fame,
Lies in it’s secret power.
It knows it does what others can’t,
Puckers your mouth since it’s so sour.
Now some may say, that’s not my cup of tea,
I prefer a different kind.
Well that’s alright, all well and good,
You can kindly stand aside.
For the one who knows what they want,
They’d never pass me by.
In fact, that one would be looking for me,
So I don’t need you to take up my time.
Dear little girl, with sweet brown eyes
Don’t fret if your time has not come.
For the right one you’ll be right,
And you’ll both know you found the one!’
The little girl thanked the man profusely,
and went home to her Mother.
She told her what the man had said
And she was told, ‘good, now tell your brother!
See he’s been searching high and low
for someone that will love his heart.
I’ve been telling him since the beginning,
your family has loved you from the start.
Imagine if you and he team up
to help you find your friends
Then your lights would both shine brighter,
They’d find y’all sooner then!
The girl approached her brother
and put the question to him.
He looked at her in sheer surprise,
could it really be so simple?
The next day they rose, eager to see
if what Mother said was true
They bathed and dressed, and
ate their breakfast like it was brand new.
Promptly after, they marched outside,
For a moment unsure how to proceed.
Then they found a piece of chalk,
And knew just what they’d need.
Drawing boxes on the ground, they skipped and jumped
Full of Laughter, full of glee
Before they knew it they heard a voice,
‘Is there also room for me?’
They looked up in surprise to see a boy,
glasses too big for his face.
He clasped his hands looking unsure
if they would ever give him a place.
The brother and sister couldn’t believe
it happened in the end.
The man and their mom were right it seemed,
on how to find a friend.
So if you’re out there, sad and yearning
Desperate to find your person too,
Just know your worth, and don’t give up,
Because they’re also looking for you.
-EB
