To visit old friend,

one has to call first.

To call old friends

first, one must be accepting.

To grow bigger than one’s past

old friends must be forgiven.

But, “old friends,” one thinks,

“are old friends for a reason.”

To visit old friends,

one must wait for them to call first.

An old friend, if they were,

must surely call on one’s birthday.

and if they do not, for many years running,

one must wait another.

for old friends were friends once,

and once can’t help remembering.