The Poem That Changed Everything

by Mike Fontanini

        It was another clear, fall day. Roy, a 7th grader, was just leaving english class and was a bit annoyed about the writing assignment. He still wasn't sure what his story would be about. Many ideas came into his mind, but none of them seemed to click.
        That night after school, he was in his bedroom sitting at his desk trying to think of what to write. He still couldn't think of anything. Then something came to him. It was a memory of his old friend Bobby. They had been the best of friends. A few years earlier, Bobby's family moved. Roy hadn't seen Bobby since, and he missed his old friend very much. As the memory triggered other memories of their friendship to come back to Roy, he had an idea. He would write a story about two friends who lose each other, and learn important lessons about friendship.
        The next day in english class, Roy almost had his story finished. It was no problem though, because it wasn't due for another day.
        Later that day in study hall, he finished the story. One of his friends read it and really liked it. So Roy showed it to 2 more of his friends and they also liked his story.
        Before Roy knew it, tomorrow had come and it was time for english class once again. One by one, the students got up in front of the class, read their stories, handed them in, and returned to their seats. It was almost Roy's turn, and he was nervous. He hated getting up in front of the class.
        Finally his turn came. He walked up to the front of the room. Then he faced the class and began to read his story. As he started reading his story, he relaxed a little. As he was reading, he had become less aware of the class since he was not looking at them, but at the page instead. As he finished reading his story, he looked up at the class. He noticed that Josh was the only one in the class who didn't appear to be somewhere between mildy and severely bored. He realized that Josh must've liked his story a lot.
        Josh was the quietest kid in the class. He was very shy. He kept to himself a lot. Sometimes other kids would pick on Josh, but no one ever stood up for him. Roy had seen this and felt sorry for Josh when he saw stuff like that happening.
        It was now Josh's turn to go to the front of the room and read his story to the class. Roy watched him as he went. He realized that Josh probably hated going up there a lot worse than he did.
        Josh's story was slightly longer than Roy's. Roy liked Josh's story. It was about a shy, outcast kid. In the end, the kid became close friends with another kid. It was the first true friend that the shy kid had ever had.
        As Josh looked up when he finished reading his story, he saw that Roy was one of the few in the class who didn't look half asleep. He could see that Roy and a few of the others who weren't half asleep had liked his story.
        Josh handed in his paper, and a few minutes later, the bell rang. Class was dismissed. All the students were glad as they grabbed their books and headed for the door.
        Weeks went by, and little changed. They still had assigments and sometimes they had to get up in front of the class. Some of the assigments seemed silly, and some seemed still more rediculous, but some made sense. Many seemed a waste of time to an intellectual like Roy.
        Many things came easy to Roy. He was pretty good at math and science. His analytical, logical way of thinking helped him out a lot. It made it easier for him to solve problems and stuff like that. However, it had one downfall.
        Roy had seen his old friend Jeremy that day in school. Roy had happened to glance down the hall and saw Jeremy at his locker. He and Jeremy had been good friends, but had drifted apart over the last year.
        Roy wanted to rekindle that friendship, but he had a problem. He had analyzed the scenario and was not getting anywhere. He was uncertain. He wondered if Jeremy still considered him to be a friend of his, or if Jeremy still liked him anymore. Roy wondered if he should try to rekindle that friendship, or leave things as they were. He kept thinking about it for awhile, but his analytical, logical way of thinking still got him nowhere. There was no definitive right or wrong answer in this case.
        Roy was still uncertain. He had learned that logical, analytical people like him don't do all that well in this kind of situation, because people like him look for definitive right and wrong choices, but in interpersonal matters, logic does not work very well. There is no way to know for sure whether or not you're doing the right thing.
        He decided that it would be bad to do nothing just because of the possiblity that Jeremy didn't like him anymore. He decided that even if it didn't work out, he would be satisfied knowing that at least he tried. He was worried that Jeremy might reject him, but didn't think it very probable. He also realized that if Jeremy did reject him, it wouldn't change much of anything anyway, because they would just keep not spending any time together or talking to each other. It would hurt, though, because they had been best friends.
        He finally decided to go ahead and talk to Jeremy. One day during the next week, he caught up with Jeremy in the hall and talked to him. When Jeremy saw him he was glad.
        "Hey, I haven't seen you in ages.", Jeremy said to Roy.
        Roy was relieved. Jeremy's greeting pretty well confirmed to Roy that Jeremy still considered him to be a friend.
        "Yeah, I saw you and decided to come say hi. It's been a long time.", replied Roy.
        "I thought our friendship was gone because of how long it's been.", Jeremy said.
        "So did I, but now I guess not.", Roy said gladly.
        "Well, see you later, Buddy.", Jeremy said.
        Then they parted ways and each went to their next class. Roy was in a good mood from that point on. It turned out to be a good day for Roy.
        The following week, Roy got another assigment in english class. He had to write a poem. He had no idea what to write it about though.
        That night after school, he went into his bedroom and sat at his desk to think about his poem. He thought for a long time and finally got an idea. Then he wrote his poem.
        The next day in english class, the poem was due. One by one, his classmates went up in front of the class, read their poems, handed them in, and returned to their seats. It was almost Roy's turn.
        Finally, Roy's turn came. He was a little nervous as he went up to the front of the room. He faced the class, and read his poem:

        Friends come and go.
        Like wind-blown leaves in the fall,
        Will they ever meet again at all?
        There's no way to know.

        Enjoy the time you share.
        You never know if today is your last day,
        To spend with friends in that carefree way.
        Show them that you care.

        Sometimes there will be pain.
        Be there for them in their time of need,
        And they'll return the good deed.
        It is inevitable that sometimes it will rain.

        Be a true friend.
        Let them know you care,
        And for you they'll be there.
        You'll be true friends in the end.

        Roy looked up from the paper as he finished reading his poem. Once again he saw that Josh seemed more affected by his writing than most of his other classmates. He would soon understand why.
        Now it was almost Josh's turn to go up to the front of the room and read his poem. He was nervous. He got up and went to the front of the room. He turned around and faced the class, and then started to read his poem:

        A kid alone on the playground.
        So quiet he doesn't make a sound.
        No one likes him.

        A boy who cried himself to sleep.
        His wounds are deep.
        He sits alone at lunch.

        A boy who sits in class in a storm.
        He watches the groups form.
        Afraid know no one will want him in their group.

        A boy who lost a friend.
        A friendship with a premature end.
        Such a painful day.

        A boy who hates getting up in front of the class.
        He hopes his time there will quickly pass.
        He gets so nervous.

        A boy who just wants a buddy and no more.
        He's never had a best friend before.
        Do you know what it's like being me?

        As he read the last several lines of his poem, several tears rolled down Josh's face. As he looked up from the paper, he looked to see the class's reaction to his poem. He could see that many of his classmates liked his poem. Roy was one of those who liked it. Josh could see that Roy had liked it a lot. Everyone clapped. Josh was happy that they liked his poem.
        That day Josh made several new friends as a result of those that his poem touched. Josh was much happier than he'd been in a long time as a result of having made several new friends. It gave his confidence a boost, too. Roy was one of those who was touched by the poem. After class, Roy walked up to Josh in the hall.
        "I liked your poem.", Roy said.
        "I liked your's too", replied Josh.
        "You're a good writer.", Roy said.
        "Thanks, you're pretty good too.", Josh replied, "Well, I'd better get to my next class, Roy."
        "Wait.", Roy said. Josh turned around to face him again.
        "Do you want to be friends?", Roy asked a little nervously. Josh could sense Roy's nervousness.
        "Yeah, sure. Thanks for being my friend.", Josh said as he began to smile.
        Roy was happy when he saw the big smile on Josh's face. He knew he'd done the right thing by befriending Josh. He'd never forget that look on Josh's face when he asked him if he wanted to be friends.
        Josh was somewhat like Roy in that he had a very logical, analytical thought pattern. He also tended to notice things that other people wouldn't, because when he was bored, he tended to study his surroundings. In these ways, Roy and Josh were similar, but they had many other similarities as well. It was as a result of his tendancy to study his surroundings, that Josh had noticed that Roy was nervous whenever he went up in front of the class. Josh had also noticed, that like him, Roy wasn't the most confident person in the world.
        Josh and Roy got together that night after school. They became the best of friends. As time went on, their friendship grew stronger. They became close friends, and for the first time they both felt true friendship. Neither one of them had ever had a close friend before. They were always there for each other.
        They got together outside of school all the time. Sometimes they played computer games or Nintendo games together. Sometimes they went on bike rides together. Sometimes they just sat and talked. No matter what they did, they always cherished their time together, because you never know if today will be the last time you get to see your friend.

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	The Poem That Changed Everything by Mike Fontanini
	It was another clear, fall day. Roy, a 7th grader, was just leaving english class and was a bit annoyed about the writing assignment. He still wasn't sure what his story would be about. Many ideas came into his mind, but none of them seemed to click. That night after school, he was in his bedroom sitting at his desk trying to think of what to write. He still couldn't think of anything. Then something came to him. It was a memory of his old friend Bobby. They had been the best of friends. A few years earlier, Bobby's family moved. Roy hadn't seen Bobby since, and he missed his old friend very much. As the memory triggered other memories of their friendship to come back to Roy, he had an idea. He would write a story about two friends who lose each other, and learn important lessons about friendship. The next day in english class, Roy almost had his story finished. It was no problem though, because it wasn't due for another day. Later that day in study hall, he finished the story. One of his friends read it and really liked it. So Roy showed it to 2 more of his friends and they also liked his story. Before Roy knew it, tomorrow had come and it was time for english class once again. One by one, the students got up in front of the class, read their stories, handed them in, and returned to their seats. It was almost Roy's turn, and he was nervous. He hated getting up in front of the class. Finally his turn came. He walked up to the front of the room. Then he faced the class and began to read his story. As he started reading his story, he relaxed a little. As he was reading, he had become less aware of the class since he was not looking at them, but at the page instead. As he finished reading his story, he looked up at the class. He noticed that Josh was the only one in the class who didn't appear to be somewhere between mildy and severely bored. He realized that Josh must've liked his story a lot. Josh was the quietest kid in the class. He was very shy. He kept to himself a lot. Sometimes other kids would pick on Josh, but no one ever stood up for him. Roy had seen this and felt sorry for Josh when he saw stuff like that happening. It was now Josh's turn to go to the front of the room and read his story to the class. Roy watched him as he went. He realized that Josh probably hated going up there a lot worse than he did. Josh's story was slightly longer than Roy's. Roy liked Josh's story. It was about a shy, outcast kid. In the end, the kid became close friends with another kid. It was the first true friend that the shy kid had ever had. As Josh looked up when he finished reading his story, he saw that Roy was one of the few in the class who didn't look half asleep. He could see that Roy and a few of the others who weren't half asleep had liked his story. Josh handed in his paper, and a few minutes later, the bell rang. Class was dismissed. All the students were glad as they grabbed their books and headed for the door. Weeks went by, and little changed. They still had assigments and sometimes they had to get up in front of the class. Some of the assigments seemed silly, and some seemed still more rediculous, but some made sense. Many seemed a waste of time to an intellectual like Roy. Many things came easy to Roy. He was pretty good at math and science. His analytical, logical way of thinking helped him out a lot. It made it easier for him to solve problems and stuff like that. However, it had one downfall. Roy had seen his old friend Jeremy that day in school. Roy had happened to glance down the hall and saw Jeremy at his locker. He and Jeremy had been good friends, but had drifted apart over the last year. Roy wanted to rekindle that friendship, but he had a problem. He had analyzed the scenario and was not getting anywhere. He was uncertain. He wondered if Jeremy still considered him to be a friend of his, or if Jeremy still liked him anymore. Roy wondered if he should try to rekindle that friendship, or leave things as they were. He kept thinking about it for awhile, but his analytical, logical way of thinking still got him nowhere. There was no definitive right or wrong answer in this case. Roy was still uncertain. He had learned that logical, analytical people like him don't do all that well in this kind of situation, because people like him look for definitive right and wrong choices, but in interpersonal matters, logic does not work very well. There is no way to know for sure whether or not you're doing the right thing. He decided that it would be bad to do nothing just because of the possiblity that Jeremy didn't like him anymore. He decided that even if it didn't work out, he would be satisfied knowing that at least he tried. He was worried that Jeremy might reject him, but didn't think it very probable. He also realized that if Jeremy did reject him, it wouldn't change much of anything anyway, because they would just keep not spending any time together or talking to each other. It would hurt, though, because they had been best friends. He finally decided to go ahead and talk to Jeremy. One day during the next week, he caught up with Jeremy in the hall and talked to him. When Jeremy saw him he was glad. "Hey, I haven't seen you in ages.", Jeremy said to Roy. Roy was relieved. Jeremy's greeting pretty well confirmed to Roy that Jeremy still considered him to be a friend. "Yeah, I saw you and decided to come say hi. It's been a long time.", replied Roy. "I thought our friendship was gone because of how long it's been.", Jeremy said. "So did I, but now I guess not.", Roy said gladly. "Well, see you later, Buddy.", Jeremy said. Then they parted ways and each went to their next class. Roy was in a good mood from that point on. It turned out to be a good day for Roy. The following week, Roy got another assigment in english class. He had to write a poem. He had no idea what to write it about though. That night after school, he went into his bedroom and sat at his desk to think about his poem. He thought for a long time and finally got an idea. Then he wrote his poem. The next day in english class, the poem was due. One by one, his classmates went up in front of the class, read their poems, handed them in, and returned to their seats. It was almost Roy's turn. Finally, Roy's turn came. He was a little nervous as he went up to the front of the room. He faced the class, and read his poem: Friends come and go. Like wind-blown leaves in the fall, Will they ever meet again at all? There's no way to know. Enjoy the time you share. You never know if today is your last day, To spend with friends in that carefree way. Show them that you care. Sometimes there will be pain. Be there for them in their time of need, And they'll return the good deed. It is inevitable that sometimes it will rain. Be a true friend. Let them know you care, And for you they'll be there. You'll be true friends in the end. Roy looked up from the paper as he finished reading his poem. Once again he saw that Josh seemed more affected by his writing than most of his other classmates. He would soon understand why. Now it was almost Josh's turn to go up to the front of the room and read his poem. He was nervous. He got up and went to the front of the room. He turned around and faced the class, and then started to read his poem: A kid alone on the playground. So quiet he doesn't make a sound. No one likes him. A boy who cried himself to sleep. His wounds are deep. He sits alone at lunch. A boy who sits in class in a storm. He watches the groups form. Afraid know no one will want him in their group. A boy who lost a friend. A friendship with a premature end. Such a painful day. A boy who hates getting up in front of the class. He hopes his time there will quickly pass. He gets so nervous. A boy who just wants a buddy and no more. He's never had a best friend before. Do you know what it's like being me? As he read the last several lines of his poem, several tears rolled down Josh's face. As he looked up from the paper, he looked to see the class's reaction to his poem. He could see that many of his classmates liked his poem. Roy was one of those who liked it. Josh could see that Roy had liked it a lot. Everyone clapped. Josh was happy that they liked his poem. That day Josh made several new friends as a result of those that his poem touched. Josh was much happier than he'd been in a long time as a result of having made several new friends. It gave his confidence a boost, too. Roy was one of those who was touched by the poem. After class, Roy walked up to Josh in the hall. "I liked your poem.", Roy said. "I liked your's too", replied Josh. "You're a good writer.", Roy said. "Thanks, you're pretty good too.", Josh replied, "Well, I'd better get to my next class, Roy." "Wait.", Roy said. Josh turned around to face him again. "Do you want to be friends?", Roy asked a little nervously. Josh could sense Roy's nervousness. "Yeah, sure. Thanks for being my friend.", Josh said as he began to smile. Roy was happy when he saw the big smile on Josh's face. He knew he'd done the right thing by befriending Josh. He'd never forget that look on Josh's face when he asked him if he wanted to be friends. Josh was somewhat like Roy in that he had a very logical, analytical thought pattern. He also tended to notice things that other people wouldn't, because when he was bored, he tended to study his surroundings. In these ways, Roy and Josh were similar, but they had many other similarities as well. It was as a result of his tendancy to study his surroundings, that Josh had noticed that Roy was nervous whenever he went up in front of the class. Josh had also noticed, that like him, Roy wasn't the most confident person in the world. Josh and Roy got together that night after school. They became the best of friends. As time went on, their friendship grew stronger. They became close friends, and for the first time they both felt true friendship. Neither one of them had ever had a close friend before. They were always there for each other. They got together outside of school all the time. Sometimes they played computer games or Nintendo games together. Sometimes they went on bike rides together. Sometimes they just sat and talked. No matter what they did, they always cherished their time together, because you never know if today will be the last time you get to see your friend. Go Back to Writing Hompage