Brave Boy

Brave Boy 

When I was in high school

A funny shy boy 

Gave me a pair of earrings

He had gone away on vacation

And when he came back

Brought me a gift

Such a remarkable thing to do

Because to me 

He was just a boy in my class

A boy I sometimes talked to

A boy who could make me laugh

He asked to speak to me 

In the hall

But didn’t say a word 

Just handed me a velvet box

That I opened with some trepidation

Inside were a pair

Of crystal hearts

Not diamond

(That would have been too much)

And not cubic zirconia 

(That would have been cheap)

But a pair of lead crystal earrings

(Genuine)

They were beautiful 

Not ostentatious 

Or gaudy

Just a bit of sparkle

And so entirely like me

This gift from a boy 

I hadn’t really seen

Until I saw 

How he looked at me

Standing quietly 

Hands clasped in front of him

With his gaze on the ground 

Sheepish and scared

To have put his fragile heart 

In the box as well

Knowing that it too 

Could be broken

I hugged him

Thanked him

For being a friend

He seemed to understand

Asked me to keep the earrings

(They were meant for me after all)

He was a kind true friend

That even in memory

Can still make me smile

I wonder if he knows

That I kept those delicate hearts safe

And every time I put them on

I think of him 

That brave boy

Who showed me that love should be made

Crystal clear

Words and Image: ©️2021LCR