Sometimes magazines ask me to write poems on a specific topic. Earlier this year, an editor at Storyworks 4-6, a multi-genre magazine for students in grades 4–6, asked me to write a poem about being nervous about making new friends on the first day of school. Instead of writing just one poem, I did what I usually do and wrote several different ideas so the editor would have a few to choose from.
In the end, they picked a different poem, called “Friendship Starter Kit,” which you’ll be able to read in the September 2026 issue of Storyworks 4-6. But I liked this one so much that I didn’t want it to sit in a folder on my computer, so I decided to share it here instead.
I think one of the nicest things about making new friends is that sometimes it happens when you least expect it. You don’t always have to plan it. Sometimes all it takes is a funny coincidence, a shared interest, or even grabbing the wrong lunchbox. I hope you enjoy it. This is…
Lunchbox Switcheroo
I brought my new lunchbox the first day of school.
Its Zombie Bananas design was so cool.
I stashed it where lunchboxes go, by the door
alongside a jumble of twenty or more.
At lunchtime the bell rang. I picked up my lunch.
I knew it had grapes and a packet of punch
along with lasagna and some kind of treat.
I rushed to the lunchroom and sat down to eat.
I unlatched my lunchbox and, to my surprise,
found caviar, soufflé, and mini meat pies.
I blinked for a minute, then had to conclude
I’d grabbed the wrong lunch with some other kid’s food.
I jumped from the table and, snapping the lid,
I raced around searching for that other kid.
I found him. He said, “This is your lunch. That’s mine.”
They shared the same Zombie Bananas design.
I said, “You like Zombie Bananas? No way!”
He answered, “Of course! We should meet up and play!”
And that’s how a simple mistake, in the end,
turned into the way that I made a new friend.
— Kenn Nesbitt
