Your hair was a watercolour of boisterous artistry and the sky wore washed-out denim jeans. The school said our year wasn’t mixing well. The retreat guides had clipboards which they used to fan us together. They herded us into the middle of the hall and told us to jumpstart a conversation. The day ended with a trust exercise. I didn’t want to fall but I fell. You caught me when I was a hairclip away from backstroking the floor. The guides didn’t understand why but I did. You were my friend. You didn’t have to; you chose. You chose me.
Catherine O’Brien is an Irish writer of poems, flash fiction and short stories. She writes bi-lingually in English and Irish. Find her on Twitter @abairrud2021.