I thought of her today
but it had been so long.
I was shaken for
I could not recall her name,
and tenth grade friends
cannot do much except be friends.

I was so naive
and shocked by her use,
appalled by the boys
who took her for free.
She told me …
but tenth grade friends
cannot do much.

She was lost in the wall.
A person unseen.
Her eyes were flat
and her hair was black.
The toll paid
in tenth grade

It scared me to think
that I would forget…
I was sadly naive,
but now I grieve…
She died long ago-
the toll extracted,
the fine exacted,
so tired and sad.

Her name was Anne.

If only tenth grade friends
could do more.

I had been reading something by Anne Lamont and suddenly remembered this friend from 10th grade.  But I couldn’t remember her name.  I remembered the layout of her house, being in her room, her talking about sex, but I couldn’t remember her name.  I began to panic and dug out high school yearbooks.  I feel like I must not forget her name.  She deserves at least that much.  She committed suicide about four years after graduation.