Where Does A Friendship Go?

We were actors starring in our own plays
Dancing pirouettes while holding on to
   Our finely sculptured facades
We met and knew each other's reality
 As though looking into a mirror
Relief took hold and loosened our grip
 That kept us holding onto our masks
And let go of them easily
While they drifted slowly to our feet
  Our friendship began

We became each other's sounding board
  The vented steam that had boiled up inside of us
Finally had a release that was safe
While sweeping up and discarding our past
  Our unity kept full the empty space
Coping with our tragedies was less difficult
  As we cried through each rough moment
    And laughed at each ghost that tried to linger
After the play had ended

Together we built a castle high upon a mountain
And marked it as our realm of independence
The foundation made from shed tears
  The thick walls and moat built by the scars
We kept watch over each other and ourselves
And fought through the past hardships
  The present aches and pains of the aftermath
    And the anxiety of the future's uncertainty

While our enemy's existence slowly disappeared
  The walls of our fortress washed away
    Leaving us to drift away on an ebbing tide
We had survived the cold darkness of battle together
   And now healed, separate horizons beckoned us
It had become time to chart our own courses
  Live our new lives
    and discover our own destiny
I let go of your hand
  And watched as you sailed into your world

Time has passed far too quickly
  As it does when one's life is well
But I remember when things were hard
  And one day seemed to linger a lifetime
I think of the bond you and I shared
  Wondering how we managed to separate
Amazed that a friendship that at one time
  Was the major source of my existence
   Could so quickly disappear into my past

I realize we will never be able to embrace
  With the same urgency we once felt
But, I long to see you, my dear friend
  To hold your hand firmly and gently
    To see your face and look into your eyes
I want to share with you the peace I have found
Which only could have come about
  By having you as my friend