What happened?

They are the same old faces.
The same old friends.
The same wonderful people.
The same fun and bright individuals.

It is so strange though,
because, you know, something has changed.
I cannot bring myself to believe that these same
wonderful people--
my friends--
are smoking pot--
and drinking to get drunk--
and hooking up.
Something has changed.
Something is not the same.
The weirdest part is...

I let the judgement seep out of my body and into the ground.
I let the judgement fly from my soul like a butterfly being released in a garden.
I let the judgement drain into the sewers like rain on an April morning.
I let the judgement fall away like the boosters of a rocket during ascent.
I let the judgement run away like a dog held up in a cage for weeks.
I let the judgement rise up, out of me, like smoke out of a chimney stack.
If the finger is to be pointed, it is only to be pointed at myself.

And you know what?
I still love these people I've come to call and keep as friends.
I still cherish our conversations.
I still can relate, somehow.
I am so very different, but so very much the same.

That's all for now,
Girl Beyond The Rise