My friend
Is not my friend any more
She has secrets from me
And goes about with Tracy Hacket
I would get her back,
Only do not want to say so.
So I pretend
To have secrets from her
And go about with Alice Banks
But what bothers me is,
Maybe she is pretending
And would like me back
Only does not want to say so.
In which case
Maybe it bothers her
That I am pretending.
But if we are both pretending,
Then really we are friends
And do not know it.
On the other hand,
How can we be friends
And have secrets from each other
And go about with other people?
My friend
Is not my friend any more,
Unless she is pretending.
I cannot think what to do.
It is a puzzle.
Allan Ahlberg
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/it-s-a-puzzle/