Dear Friends

Dear Friends,

Do you remember when televisions used to be shaped like boxes?

And a little yellow sponge used to laugh in his high pitched way, and we would laugh with him?

Do you remember playing the GameCube at the grocery store? 

Or jumping into the ball pit at a McDonald's?

Do you remember giant stereos? And Axe body spray, and how the air in every middle school locker room tasted like Phoenix, Apollo, Voodoo and Essence between periods?

Do you still remember your first crush? How about your first dance?

Do you remember when rugs had streets and towns on them?

Do you remember how exciting it was to watch the Sports Center top ten plays?

How about the GameBoy Color, do you remember that still? Did you spend hours playing Pokemon, like I did?

I remember being too impatient to build hot wheel tracks. And I hardly ever finished a Lego set.

I remember my messy room that I shared with my brother. And I remember our bunk bed and those glow-in-the-dark stars on our ceiling.

I remember getting Halo and losing my mind.

I remember building forts out of blankets, and Igloos on snow days. 

I remember my Razor scooter and how many bruises on my shins I got from it. 

I remember when we used to have to go to the internet and wait for it to connect. 

I remember the three years when Eminem was good. And I’ll always remember 50 cent, Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi, The Game, J. Cole and Kendrick—they provided the soundtrack to my life back then.

Do you remember scraping your knee and your mom would blow on it to make it better, but it never did actually make it feel any better?

I remember losing 100’s of jackets. And I remember how cool those little finger skateboards were. 

Do you remember reading Percy Jackson and getting crazy ideas about love because of it?

Do you remember when literally every adult told you that when you grew up that you

needed to work a job that you loved?

I know

  That nostalgia 

    Is a trap

     That is so easy

     To fall into . . .

But sometimes it’s nice

  To reminisce for a moment

   And remember what made us.

This world changes so fast

  And the moments that made us

   Vanish so quickly

   To the relentless arrow of time . . .

And to the people that I can still call my friends

  I want you to know

   I appreciate you

And I guess I feel comfortable enough to tell you

That I 

Love

Y’all. 

Thank you for all of the laughs.

CH 1/12/24