A Toast to the People We Used to Know

The Story begins -
With the meeting
And then a friendship develops
Mutual on both sides,
Or so you think
You make plans for the future -
Expecting the story to last indefinitely
But the story ends - abruptly -
You used to know them;
Now you don't.
You used to be friends;
Now you aren't.
. . . The End . . .

So here's a toast:
To those who were once our close friends
To those we used to know like the back of our hands
To those with whom we shared our favourite memories
To those we thought would stay forever
To those people people we used to know
Who either changed beyond recognition -
Or dropped us along the way
. . . Without a backward glance . . .