Open Letter to an Old Friend (Poem)

(After Lemony Snicket)

I will always love you, yes. 

I will love you like the log loves the fire and the worm loves the early bird, like the riverbed loves the flood and the lightning loves thunder. I will love you like a cactus loves a drought, though I cannot promise I will do so with posture as upright–here,, however, is what I can guarantee: 

I will love you with the fervor of a used car salesman trying to sell a beater, like the Subaru you used to drive up the canyon when we would go see the stars. I will love you as madly as that guy on the street corner– you know the one– who would always shout at us about the end of the world when we went to get lemonade from the corner store. I will love you like he loved the apocalypse.

I will love you like the vacuum loved the dirt you always left with your boots in the carpet after work and I will love you like the frying pan loved the eggs you'd always burn. I will love you like trees love arborists outside our window at 7 in the morning and I will love you like the tree branch that crushed your beater during that big hailstorm. I will love you like a napkin loves a pizza with too much grease and I will love you like a museum docent loves two snickering fools copying the poses in the paintings. I will love you like acrylics love paint thinner.

I will love you even though you never quite 'got' the movies I'd show you, and even though I never quite understood your music. I will love you despite your grating, beautiful laugh, and despite the uncanny way you got me to smile no matter how my day was, even though Brian from the administrative office came and told me my tie was out of style. I will love you like Brian from admin loves old ties.

I loved you like the fool loves the liar, and I will love you even though you broke me into pieces, and even though you found someone else to love you. I will love you as I watch you happily grow old without me, just as I have always loved you. 

I will love you in everything you do, every day, forever.