Mr Richards sat me down
and told me everything
would be alright
and he advised me
to enjoy what is fleeting
while it lasts
and he said
one day I would be
big and tall
and that I might
not necessarily
have it all
but never to regret
a single thing
that didn’t go as planned
and that sometimes you
sit and cry
and at other times
you accept what
you cannot stand
and then he said
all good things
and all bad
come to an end
and then he just poof
disappeared
because Mr. Richards
was my childhood
imaginary friend