Little Losses

When we were
Eleven
I told on her
And another one of
Our friends for
Being slightly
Snide
About my
New blue blazer.
She was in my class
Very smart
Straight A’s
All the way.
Like me
She struggled
With the soft and round of her
Like me
She had a wild heart
That loved the wrong men
Like me
She was ambitious, strong
Worked long, rose high
Like me
Her baby died
And as I stood by her side
As she said goodbye
I wished that we were
Different.