ode to a friend

crystal. she's perfect. no she's not a genius or a huge success or a brilliant artist. she just knows how to be a person, the person she is. that kind of natural beauty that shines through bad tattoos and difficult relationships, and defies her smoking habit and bar food diet with a lean muscled figure, plump lips and young energy. she's a royal figure in this town, known by all, loved by most, a bad-girl you can still trust. i've often asked myself how she does it so effortlessly, and that's just it--she's a natural. there have been dangerous lessons, fights, periods of stagnation, but she always comes out on top. a little wiser, more savvy, stronger. she knows how to play the game of life by some inborn ability i lack. and over the years this has kept her a fascinating friend for me, a teacher by example.
in exchange i teach her yoga, take her places she's never been, fully enjoy being her sidekick, and always leave the door open for her to join my adventures. i don't know if she'll ever take me up on it, but she is one of the treasures i find when i come home.