"46" by Eloise Banting

My 46-year-old friend. Wild.

My friends dazzle in the rain,

Their souls so beautiful-bright!

Our hearts one and the same -

And our spirits so full of light!

But none of them radiate,

The glow of my best friend,

I met him when I was 3,

In my dream he did transcend!

A guardian angel so wise,

A guardian angel so free,

A handsome man of silver hair -

A protector just for me!

I know I shouldn’t have asked,

But he said he was 46,

He said his daughter is like me -

Up his sleeve there were no tricks!

He says when he visits,

It’s when I need him most - 

Though his soul is of the future,

He said that he’s no ghost!

His earthly spirit is not conscious,

Of his ability to come back -

He can only visit in my dreams,

During a metaphysical-mind-attack!

When I was 7 he told me,

After years of little dream-chats,

That we would meet one day,

And he’s the guy with all the cats!

Of this dream I do not lie,

Of this dream I remember well!

Of this dream I never thought much,

But now it’s a cool story to tell...

Then when I was awkward and geeky,

Around the sweet little age of nine,

He showed me a vision of a woman,

In a little black dress sipping white wine!

She also wore gold earrings,

Sporting nails and lips so red,

He said her heels stole his feelings,

But her eyes took his heart instead. 

In this dream he made me feel,

Like an outcast not a pearl.

In that moment I felt awful,

Because I could never be that girl!

I told him to go away,

And that we’ll never speak again,

He grinned and said he’s used to that,

So he came back when I was ten!

He was still 46,

And me already a decade,

He said we’d meet in a few years,

And that I shouldn’t be afraid.

I was so confused and crazed,

Then it was the night before high school,

He said that it’s tomorrow, 

And that I’ll feel like a fool.

Because I searched and searched,

Then  he came back again one night.

 I so badly wanted to meet him in person -

He said we had and I wasn't right!

I had enough of his little riddles,

And thought him a figment of my mind -

(But I write this because he came back yesterday!)

I now see I was so blind!!

He would not tell me what the future rears,

And that he already told me plenty.

He said the 'he' here's known me almost ten years,

While I've known him for almost twenty!