An Ode to Friendship

I have woken up too many times in a cold sweat, Gone to bed too many times with goals unmet; Most mornings have been met with gloomy news, Many evenings left saddened, tired and confused.

I have to admit today the world is a bloody mess, Our country is one of the worst I must confess, So many of us could be a shining beacon of light, But moulder in recliners, watching others fight.

We are drowning in a sea of dogma and rhetoric, So much derision and division it makes me sick; A world divided amidst the hungry, dying and rich, With no pathway, foundation, framework, or bridge.

I kept asking myself how should I live and cope? Through the thickness of my mental fog I found a hope, A feeling and thought I could not at first comprehend: It was the word, the note, the voice, from a cherished friend.

In a world held sway by veiled virtual social Darwinism, Filled with anonymity, animosity, fear and scepticism, There is something that cuts through all the nonsense: It is the lasting power and purity of a friendship.

In truth I have never been one to keep friends easily, I am too inconsistent, lazy, unpredictable and quirky, Just as an introvert trying an extrovert to be and fail, Every friendship started I would invariably derail.

Not all is lost to this bipolar muddied, muddled mind, I see the value in a friend who is thoughtful and kind, One whose love I can relish with thanksgiving, A friend that is thoughtful, caring and forgiving.

All it took was a heartfelt letter, an unexpected call, It did not have to be long, it could have been minimal, To unmask the gift and fealty that friendship truly is, And awaken my irascible heart and finally let me live.

To you my friend and potential friends out there, I want you to know that I love you and I care; That you do not have to be a hero or a ghost, Just knowing you are a friend means the most.

Okay, so I’ll put this introspective poem to rest, Trying today to do, ignore the news and be my best; Because having read these words penned by my hand, I hope you know you are a friend and will understand.

I leave you now with words from a man close to my heart, Even though it may seem like our beliefs are worlds apart:

“And let your best be for your friend. If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill? Seek him always with hours to live. For it is his to fill your need but not your emptiness. And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.” - The Prophet, 1923. By Kahlil Gibran.

From one friend to another, thank you. I am refreshed.

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