12/07/2025
A Poem: He’s My Friend
There were many times in America
When our politicians got it all wrong
And they get it wrong over and over again
Which is why I penned this song
We met each other in grammar school
And we became friends the moment we met
We loved the same things, and we played together each day
We were as close as two children could get
But then, one day, something happened
And it changed our friendship forever
Dad was home after work, and my mom was making dinner
He suddenly screamed, “No, they would never!”
I thought, “Don’t take my friend
away from me.
We’re just kids,
and together is where we belong.
Please don’t blame him
for the way that he looks.
He's my friend,
and he’s done no one any wrong.”
It seemed the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor
And I could see the tears in my dad's eyes
He screamed to my mom, who ran in from the kitchen
“They attacked us by dropping bombs from the skies!”
The next day, they came and took my friend away
He waved and gave me a big smile
He said, “Thank you for being such a good friend
I will be back, but I have to go away for a while.”
I remember feeling confused and very sad
I started to cry as they took him away
Who was I supposed to be friends with now
We played together after school every day
I thought, “Don’t take my friend
away from me.
We’re just kids,
and together is where we belong.
Please don’t blame him
for the way that he looks.
He's my friend,
and he’s done no one any wrong.”
Three years later, my friend finally returned
He was taller, but he was also very thin
He said they split him from his parents
He thought he would never see them again
I asked him if he was glad to be back in school
He said, “Yes, but his home wasn't the same.”
And he wasn't quite sure if I still wanted his friendship
He said he was taught to feel great shame
I quickly wrapped my arms around him
And I said, “There’s nothing to worry about.”
He was my friend and would be so forever
And for our friendship, there will never be a doubt
I said, “Don’t take our friendship
away from us.
We’re just kids,
and together is where we belong.
I don’t blame you
for the way that you look.
You're my friend,
and you've done no one any wrong.”
© 2025 Jeffrey Pipes Guice
Photograph by Dorothea Lange, 1941
This photo of two sweet-looking children speaks to a dark and horrific period of American history. Following Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and suspecting an invasion, President Roosevelt ordered the internment of all Japanese Americans living on the West Coast, regardless of whether they were US citizens. This photo, entitled 'Lunch Hour,' was taken by Dorothea Lange at the Raphael Weill School in San Francisco - she captured the children together moments before the Japanese American population of the school was evacuated from the neighborhood. In all, over 112,000 Japanese Americans were forced out of their homes and transferred to internment camps, where some spent as long as three years enduring dehumanizing conditions and the loss of their homes, jobs, and lives.
