online friends

[athousanderrors]

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hobbitsetal:

“my friend the electrical engineer,”
i say,
or of someone else:
“my friend the Canadian,”
“my friend in Denver.”
and i am down south,
states and miles away.

“how did you meet?”
they ask, puzzled by
how far-flung my friendships.
“the internet,” i say,
a little proud, a little defensive
because the next words
are inevitable.

they always ask with a mix of
amusement and horror. always.
“have you met in person? no?
how can you be sure
it’s not an old pervert
in his mother’s basement, a
serial killer on the prowl?”

how can we be sure of anyone?
the man who married a pastor’s
daughter, then shot his pregnant wife
in the back of the head–they thought
they knew him.
but these anonymous souls:
they’re my friends.

we talk of books and ideas, family and
differences in where we live and
why we do what we do, and
trade stupid jokes like candy,
sweet and inclusive and joyful.
my friends.
my soul friends, who i meet
on the internet.

friendships are not born
of handshakes.
they’re born of shared things and
shared interests and
sometimes just because you’re human
and i’m human, and that
praise God
is enough.

even over the internet, that
is enough.
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