Black Crayons

I knew this girl named Alice.
She was pretty as could be.
Alice had a secret,
that she only told to me.
Alice didn't to go to school,
cause she was never forced.
Alice was so lucky,
she never did any chores.
Alice had all kinds of toys,
barbies bears and beads.
She lived in the old grey house
at the end of my street.

Alice liked to play games with me,
like doctor, nurse, and vet.
Sometimes we would go outside,
and she'd pretend I was her pet.
She would walk me to the playground,
and we'd play on the swings.
The other kids did not like me,
but they liked to call me things.
When Alice and I played hide and seek,
she'd remember to find me.
When I played with all the other kids,
I get left playing till I'm asleep.
Alice shared her cookies
whenever I shared my milk.
I wasn't good at any games
But she wouldn't let me quit
Rainy days we'd draw pictures.
She taught me how to draw good suns.
Alice always got hungry and ate the black crayons.
Sometimes we would swing together.
She taught me to swing high.
We'd pretend we were birdies.
We'd pretend we could fly.

We would write in lemon juice
so others couldn't read.
Sometimes I gave it to other people,
just for them to see.
Alice and I were very best friends,
and we always would be.
Sometimes she would make me laugh
until I had to pee.

Whenever Alice went to school,
Ms. Teacher would watch close.
Alice liked to run around
and stick chalk up William's nose.
William was allergic,
and chalk surely made him sneeze.
Ms. Teacher could not teach the class
with chalk covered in boogies.
Alice liked to colour.
She did it all the time.
Her pictures never used black crayons,
but she takes all of mine.
Alice liked Ms. Teacher,
if she left Alice would cry.
She even took Ms. Teacher's lunch,
and baked her a mud pie.
She put it in her purse,
for when teacher got home.
She also put in two live snakes,
so teacher wouldn't eat alone.
When teacher opened up her bag,
her faced turned white like snow.
I bet teacher loved mud pies
But didn't want us to know
Ms. Teacher taught us angry words,
bad words for girl and poo.
I didn't know what Gucci meant,
but she said that too.
Alice got in trouble,
and a letter to send home.
I don't think Ms. Teacher knew,
that Alice lived alone.

Alice and I play hopscotch,
and she was really good.
I've seen her jump on all the desks,
and she did on one foot.
Alice always had gummy bears,
to feed to the birds.
Ms. Teacher said it is bad for them,
I didn't think Alice heard.
A while after Ms. Teacher left,
Alice asked out of the blue,
"If you were a birdie, wouldn't you want gummies too?"
Alice made so much sense of things,
My best friend was great.
We sat down on the swing-set.
We swung as the birdies ate.
Then we pretended we were birdies,
just so we could have gummies too.
Alice kissed me on the cheek,
"I will fly away with you."
***
Right now I'm in high school
where we learn too many things.
The last time I saw Alice
was that recess at the swings.
I have some new friends now,
they are fun to be around.
We go to the movies,
and their music is too loud.
My friends are the kind of friends
that won't leave me where I hid.
Well, we don't play hide and seek any more,
but they wouldn't if we did.
I don't think we do anything,
we just sit around and talk.
My friends always seem to ask me,
"Why run when you can walk?"
Wherever Alice is now,
I hope she still feeds the birds.
I hope she still makes too much sense,
and made friends with all the girls.
***
I never did see her again,
and I know I wanted too.
I should have asked child services
where they took her too.
I miss her more than ever,
she probably won't remember that far back.
There's a lot I need made sense of,
I think she could help with that.
I don't know where I'd be
if it was not for her.
She taught me how to run not walk,
and feed gummies to the birds.
She taught me how to make mud pies,
and swing on the swings.
She taught me how to colour suns,
and deal with people who say mean things.
She's the reason that I'm a doctor now,
all those times we'd pretend.
She gave me more than cookies,
she let me be her friend.
She whispered in my ear,
"I will fly away with you."
I was the only person,
that she told her secret to.
I asked her where her parents where,
she said that they were dead.
With the straight face of a six year old,
she found them in their bed.
I didn't know what to say to her,
so I kept my mouth closed.
She pulled out some lemon juice
and wrote me a secret note.
The letters that she wrote to me
still make me confused.
"A black crayon a day keeps the doctors away,
If I don't eat them, I'll die too."
Sometimes I sit back and ask myself,
if she eats them still.
The doctors never figured out,
what made her parents ill.
When I look up to the sky,
when I see the birds.
I stop and eat a crayon,
cause I will always remember her.