What kind of friend are you?

“And the rest came
They tried to make me laugh
They played games with me
Some games for fun and some
For real and for keeps.
And then they went away
Leaving me in the ruin of the games
Not knowing which were for fun
And which were for keeps and
Leaving me alone with the echoes of
Laughter that wasn’t mine.

Then you came
With your funny way of being
Not quite human
And you made me cry.
And you didn’t seem to care if I did
You just said the games are over
And waited
Until all my tears turned into
Joy.”

A poem from Sheila to Torey
From the book One Child by Torey Hayden.