Poem For A Young Friend

For Cass

Enter at your own risk, you said
so I did

I found a young girl
Angry, coarse, and so full of pain

But when we wrote
and talked on the phone
I found a different girl
A sweet girl
Caring and understanding

As I wait in silence for your return
I wonder
How to bring that sweet girl to the surface
to face the world
with self-confidence
And a smile