I Salute You, Dearest Friend

I think, wonder, I see with my eye, with my mind,
Of those friends I've had before, mostly the worst kind,
Self-gratifying egotists, to argue and bully their only desire,
Insults, insinuation, boasts, threats, bile, nothing higher,

For a long time, I lost faith in myself and felt utterly forsaken,
Shattered confidence and will to live almost entirely shaken,
All who I "befriended" left me cold, used me as but a minion,
To them, I was part of their ego machine, but one pinion,

But apologies, enough of my self-pity, a short bit of context,
Know the subject of this piece is you, my friend, it's not complex,
I just wanted to let you know, friend of friends, dearest Caroline,
That in this world, dark as it may be at times, so brightly you shine,

I know I've told you often before that I think oh so highly of you,
But I know how miserable you feel, so I wrote this for you too,
It's not as good as I'd like, nor as good as you deserve,
Yet I hope that it will cheer you up a little, to calm your nerve,

You are the most genuine, honest and beautifully spirited soul,
With soft words and a temperament that would sooth a nervous foal,
Care, love and understanding, they flow from you like a wave,
Kindness saturates your every action, you who are so brave, so brave...

Still, it is but a drop amongst the lake, one of thousands of reasons,
That you are so admirable, the one who is as diverse as the seasons,
Spare me but a few moments more to spin this work, this tale,
To show you how truly precious you are, through rain and gale,

Not only do you help and care for us lesser folk, you help us laugh,
With your noises, antics, squeals, jokes, remarks, you set our path,
From the trail of despair, the bleakest and loneliest of them all,
Into the most joyful lands, a place where even the weak stand tall,

Creativity, the most elegant paintbrush is one you wield expertly,
Forging works with both pencil and mind, you drive away lethargy,
With words, you weave a captivating narrative, such is your skill,
Talents are something you have in spades, driven by passionate will,

Hour after hour I can find myself speaking to you and I never grow bored,
Whether we're discussing a film, sharing thoughts or slaying the Horde,
Over half a day I've found myself captivated by each word you say,
Speaking to others is bland in comparison, even when, "pls pls Fei!"

Heavy as the world and all it throws at us can be, in time things will heal,
You'll know the happiness that you are owed, the joy you deserve to feel,
I can't give you a hug when you feel down, telling you it'll be over soon,
If anything I can do will help, even if petty, I'll do it, I'd swim to the moon,

While hardly worthy of you, let this be a gift of words to you, my closest friend,
No matter what happens, regardless of what is said, this truth will not bend,
All that's written within is the utter truth, let none say otherwise, none deny,
In mine and many others eyes, you are the greatest, Caroline, to say anything else is a lie...


Be happy, Caroline.



My biggest apologies if you dislike this piece, Caroline, it's certainly not as good as you deserve, not by half, but I tried. I feel so wretched that I can't do more to help you and I just wanted to give you something special, even if it's not worthy of you . You're the best friend that anyone could ever ask for and I want you to feel that and know that you are as wonderful as I and others have told you that you are, we aren't exaggerating. You're one of a kind and just... utterly amazing, (although still a perv! )

(Yes I know Caroline and shine don't rhyme overly well, but Caroline is really hard to rhyme with!)