A Friend

A friend I had,
A time long ago,
A friend I called true.
She was peculiar,
An oddball that one
But the best I've ever known.

Her face carried a smile
One that lit up the room,
One I knew too well.
But they failed,
Failed to see,
The pain behind her smile.

A war she waged
Unknown to many,
A war she fought alone.
A battle of fire,
Of forests and mire;
Of mud blood and tears.
A struggle
Through the night,
A conflict
With her darkest fears.

All the same,
A fire danced in her dark eyes.
Eyes that held tales true,
Tales of magic,
Lovely and tragic,
Of dragons and ghosts and men.

A friend I have,
A time I call now,
A friend I can call true.
She is peculiar,
An oddball that one,
And the best I've ever known.