DELLY (with a side of penguins)

I can't remember how me met
so I like to make up fantasies
Because for some reason 
it feels important
to know the beginning of our story
Even if
it's only the start 
I pretend to know

I'd like to think we're soul sisters
And perhaps in another life, twins
maybe we met in orchestra
but I don't think that's it
Was it our passion for reading
where we had a friend version
of a "meet cute" in our school's 
ridiculously tiny library?
Or was it that class we had together
in which we rarely talked at first
because I was constantly
living in a book
and you had your own friends?
I honestly can't remember

What I do recall is
when we played a whole game of scrabble
and you spelled "deli"
D-E-L-L-Y
but nobody batted an eye
until a boy came up as class ended
and said "what the heck is that?"
it was the joke of the week
"Are you dellying okay?"
"I feel just delly"
We looked like manic fools
but we didn't care
because all was right
In the world

Or the early mornings
after WEB
filming a message
for the friend 
who'd just moved away
jumping up and down  
on concrete benches
making the wackiest faces
The other students stared
but we didn't care
because all was right
In the world

Or those lazy study halls
During sixth period
when we were all taking pictures
of everyone else
I still have a few of you
hiding in a black sweatshirt
peeking out against 
the green webbed lunch tables
I stole your glasses
running around the cafeteria
Peels of laughter 
echoing
but we didn't care
because all was right
In the world

Or in seventh grade
When we complained about
the lack of boyfriend material
at our school
You told me about Penguin
and the boy with the golden hair
My imagination took it, and flew
For months, I spammed you
wIth all you penguin stickers
Hangouts could offer
Shamelessly retelling the tale 
on loop
At the end of the day though,
you didn't care
because all was right
in the world

But then you told us
That you were leaving
And my brain didn't
wouldn't
couldn't
wrap around it
We toasted
to having "The best year there'll ever be"
And steamrolled on
We still didn't care
couldn't care
because right then, all was still right
In our world

And then there was Florida
A week that was
full of rollercoasters
literally
Together,
we got drenched
we shrieked and screamed and laughed
Oh, how we laughed
ever so much
when we sang disney
waiting in line
and how a random dude ahead of us
belted "Let It Go", 
with us​
And we couldn't care
because all was right
in our world

On the last day of school
You, me, and all of our friends
gathered at your place
You made pizzas
With the weirdest toppings
We sang songs
Crowding around
the Arcadian version
of a bonfire
Trying so hard
to recreate
every moment
But even then
We couldn't,
wouldn't care
Because all was right
In our world

And then I left first
And you left too
So I chased you 
all the way to Japan
Which by the way,
looking back,
was insane

I've never told you this
Or at least I haven't
verbally
But on the plane ride there,
I found I couldn't breathe
thinking about you,
a lump formed in my throat
tears leaked out of my eyes
and dripped onto my heart
And all was not right
In my world

But when I saw you,
once again
At the overpriced pizza parlor
in Tokyo, Japan
it was like no time had passed
That day with you
and my family
was one of the best
I ever had
It was the 
perfect goodbye

And after that I knew
that the reason we never cared
is because we knew it would never end
This friendship was not going to fade
just because you moved across the ocean
into a different time zone
fifteen hours away
We're stronger than that
as long as we are friends
all will always be right
in this massive world of ours

So don't let the heat getcha
and have fun 
staying at home
and NOT going on an adventure
If you don't believe me
I have it in writing, 
that this is what 
a little wise lady
now residing in Tokyo
once wrote me

So lately, I’ve been thinking
Maybe it doesn’t matter
how we met
at all
Who says
every story
needs a "once upon a time"?
Perhaps all that matters
Is the journey
And adventure
rollercoaster, even
We’re still on
Together