BEST FRIEND
November 20, 1999

I still remember how it all began
You asked me if I would be your best friend
I was only five and you were six
You were the master of the Pick-up Stix
I only knew about Bristle Blocks and Mister Machine
You had all the answers or so it seemed
I swallowed hard and then said yes-sir-ree
You got out your Ken and Barbie
I held your hand as we played make pretend
You taught me the rules for CandyLand
I felt so overwhelmed with joy
It didn’t matter that you were a boy

Cause you said,
Will you be my best friend
Do you wanna play pretend
I’ll be Barbie and you be Ken
And that was how we began

I still remember it like yesturday
You said you were gonna-hafta move away
I was only eight and you were nine
You found someway to make me feel fine
I said it’s okay cause we could write
You swore that we would never-ever fight
I swore that we would never part
You made me laugh with your fake farts
I gave you the biggest hug in the whole wide world
You picked me up, and you gave me a twirl
I felt so overwhelmed with joy
It didn’t matter that you were a boy

Cause you said,
Will you be my best friend
We could play pretend until they call us in
I’ll be Barbie and you be Ken
But that was just when we began

I can’t forget when I got your first letter
Your words me made me feel so much better
I read it over twenty times and then again
You signed it saying I’d always be your Ken
I wrote back to you that very night
You couldn’t wait for me to write
I picked up the phone and recognized your voice
You were picked on by the other boys
I cried with you and said I’m still your Ken
You laughed and we talked till past ten
I was so overwhelmed with joy
It didn’t matter that you were a boy

Then you said,
You will always be my best friend
I knew our friendship would never end
I’ll be Barbie and you’ll be Ken
And everynight we’ll talk past ten

I made mother hang your lettesrs in our den
You wrote so many we could not fit them in
I was fourteen now and you fifteen
You said high school kids could be so mean
I promised then to come protect you
You believed me, knew my words were true
I told my mother where I had to go
You made a spot so I would not be cold
I called to let you know when I’d be there
You let go of all your fear
I was so overwhelmed with joy
It didn’t matter that you were a boy

And you said,
You are my only friend
You’ve always been there to lend a hand
Am I still you Barbie, are you still my Ken
Isn’t that how this all began

I was there within a week
You saw me and couldn’t speak
I hugged you with all my might
You knew everything would be alright
I helped you put them in their place
You showed your joy in your face
I held your hand as we walked away
You said you heard them whisper we were gay
I looked at you with such surprise
You couldn’t believe the look in my eyes
I was so overwhelmed with joy
It didn’t matter that we were boys