We were all messy buns and sweet teeth 
those early mornings. 
We sat in that small crowded cafeteria
where we shared Betty Crocker’s 
rich and creamy frosting. 
We left our spoons licked and sticky. 
We were girls becoming women, 
sharing the bitterness and sweetness of it
once a month. 

Years stretched between us. 
There was a time we did not know one another. 
Now, we find ourselves all grown up. 
Grocery shopping together.
Cooking dinner.
Bumping elbows in your kitchen.
Your toddler laughs in the other room,
his little feet loud. 
Your dachshund steps around us
waiting for fallen crumbs. 

We discuss dessert:
What about turtle brownies? 
Ice cream is simple.
Or banana pudding? 
I’m in the mood for cake. 
With chocolate icing? 

We will always be girls together.