Rodney was the name I called you those few years I knew you,

Ronnie was what your name actually was,

My young ears must have misheard you,

Though you never corrected me,

Whether it was so close you didn’t notice,

Or that you didn’t care, as long as you had friends,

Never thought to ask you those years later in high school,

After those kickball games on the hill we lived on,

Trampoline adventures at the Provenchers,

Climb the fence to get the ball from the drug dealers,

Nathan threatening us with a baseball bat,

I stepped on his nose and made him bleed,

So much has happened this short year,

After your sister had been raped that awful morning,

You didn’t come around as much,

Weren't as happy and energetic as you used to,

Then that day, it ended,

Your parents were out at work,

You were playing with my brothers, Nathan and I,

Your sister came over and grabbed you to talk,

This was the first time I had ever seen your sister,

And it was the last time I would see either of you,

You were being evicted from your home,

Went home and started packing your stuff,

Putting on the side of the road because you didn’t know what else you could do,

The remaining four of us sat on the curb in front of my house,

Watching you two struggle because we were still too young to understand,

We didn’t even think to say good bye,

Years had passed and I had forgotten you,

Until I saw you again at high school,

You had gotten older, just like I had,

But you kept that same freckled face with curly hair,

I thought many times about walking over to you,

And the many things I would say,

The cliche long time no see, how have you been,

I never did though,

Because at one point you looked at me,

Quickly turned away and didn’t look again,

I later talked to mom about it, slightly miffed,

He was probably embarrassed by the circumstances he left,

To let him be and do his thing,

I did exactly as she had said and left you alone,

We eventually both graduated,

I went off to culinary school and you went somewhere,

I had once again forgotten about you as I rushed from day to day,

Then I was reminded of you again,

When my coworker who knew you said his friend passed,

I saw on facebook later a post made about your passing,

I couldn’t believe it, you were on a pacemaker,

We had a short past together, I barely knew you,

I didn’t know your favorite color, what music you liked, or even your last name,

But I still feel attached to you because of our youth,

And you were all of a sudden gone, forever,

I will never get to learn about you,

Rest in peace Ronnie L. Thomas.