It takes a long time to grow an old friend

Never in my life have words been hard to say
Especially when I see you each and every day
But suddenly I feel that whatever I say is wrong
Not piecing together like old or favorite song

Words are hurtful, most are lies, some are true
Nothing is as scary as the silence between me and you
How do we recover a friendship so fragile and so rare
When neither of us believe how we've been treated has been fair

There are seconds, minutes, even days, I think a stray
How easy it would be to turn our backs - throw this all away
And surrounded by friends and people I know, I try to forget
It doesn't quite work with shattered feelings and regret

Regret not for all the good times, stories that our children will be told
But for all the things not said and shared - the ones left in the cold
We know we're not alone and that there are others who will be there
To combat compulsive cleaning and battle unmanageable hair
The struggle however will be missed sincerely
I hold all the moments - good and bad - very dearly

Despite the many ups - we crashed with many downs
The endless sound of laughter was replaced by doubt and frowns
Surprisingly we didn't die, in fact we probably grew stronger
But this constant war is tiring and should not go on any longer

So next time I pass you I'll say a word or two
Something like a "hello" or a "hey! How are you"
I may pass a compliment, a wave or a smile
Or send you an email, maybe chat for a while
But nothing hurtful, disappointing or said in jest
It's time to put that all to rest

I hope this has made some kind of sense to you as it’s made to me
I don’t expect a mountain to be moved - maybe just a tree
Any kind of step I think will be positive in the end
After all - you are, my best and dearest friend.