i open the drawer.
there's a key in the back.
perfect.
it's got a bit of rust on it,
kind of like us.
not shiny new friends
not a shiny new key
but friends/a key nonetheless.
i sit on my bedroom floor
and pull the locked cosmetics box
over to me.
with a click,
the box is open.
all that's in it are some papers
and an envelope at the bottom.
i pull out the one
with green construction paper.
a younger version of you
smiles out at me.
i remember
how my best friend
snatched this for me
you had left it behind
after class.
it's a poem
about you.
it says how you care
about the safety
of your younger siblings.
i smile.
there are pictures drawn in crayon
or colored pencil
and a drum set,
probably off the internet.
what i love the most
is the look on your face.
that smile hasn't changed.
i know that you cared for me
and there's a chance that you
still do.
so thank you
so much
for being my first boyfriend
for telling me that i'm cute and smart
for helping me learn
about myself.
thank you for caring about me
smiling at me
talking to me
being a part of my craziness
and letting me be crazy.
thank you
thank you
thank you.
so maybe one day
we can be together again.
who knows?
maybe tomorrow
maybe next week
next year.
or maybe
some time
far into the future
when that photo of you
the one on green construction paper
is so old
that you barely remember it
but you remember us