i never thought someone
as cool as you
would befriend someone
as different as me
didn’t think you’d be interested /
worried you’d feel we had nothing
in common
but you came to me and stayed
and when we meet
under that particular tree
in the late morning
grass underfoot
i’m always surprised
by the kindness in your eyes
you quietly wait and see me
yet you have a whole secret world—
i don’t know the half of it
and i’d love to
PHOTO: Olivia McMurray (honoured; thank you, Liv)
This poem is about a tree agama called Lichen, and the ritual that developed between us under that particular tree. But it’s also a poem about friendship, and the tenderness of realising that someone hasn’t just appeared in your life, but continues to appear.
That extraordinary feeling of OMG, we have chosen each other!
And the privilege of being seen but also of having the opportunity to really discover another.
Things can change so quickly in a small town, and those changes can feel intense. I’m in a phase of trying to understand friendships that have shifted, deepened or disappeared, and where I belong in them.
Maybe that’s why this poem, which has been sitting with me for about a year, became ready now.
And maybe there’s a part of me that is surprised when people stay.
but you came to me and stayed
🙏🏻
P.S. A few months ago, my housemates, Olivia McMurray and Jess Tyrrell, and I watched Lichen lay and bury her eggs. I’ve since moved and don’t get to see her daily, but I’m so excited to receive news of her little ones.
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