Poems Of Relationships: Eight Inspiring Verses About Friendship

“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.”

Another option—particularly if you’re looking to express your feelings for “all the women” in your life—might be:

“Here’s to all the women in my life who I can count on for anything, especially a good time.”

-Anonymous

Author Theodora Goss had this to say about friendship:

“Friendship and chocolate cake - they do not heal all ills, but they certainly help.”

Naomi Shihab Nye spoke of putting kindness before judgment—and the importance of responding with compassion when a stranger appears in your life—in Red Brocade: 

“The Arabs used to say, when a stranger appears at your door, feed him for three days before asking who he is, where he’s come from, or where he’s headed. That way, he’ll have strength enough to answer, or by then, you’ll be such good friends you don’t care.” 

In an excerpt from Danez Smith’s poem “acknowledgments”, we can see how deep the connections between friends can be:

“at the function, i feel myself splitting into too many rooms of static

you touch my hand & there i am

do you want to be best friends?

a box for yes, a box for no

did our grandmothers flee the fields of embers so we could find each other here?

friend, you are the war’s gentle consequence

i am the prison that turns to rain in your hands

you, at my door the night my father leapt beyond what we know

you, dirt where i plant my light

the branches of silence are heavy with your sweet seed”

The way friendships can bring us together is playfully described in Hug O’ War by Shel Silverstein:

“I will not play at tug o' war.
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins”

Matt Hart wrote an evocative poem on the all-encompassing nature of the relationship between good friends, titled The Friend: 

“The friend lives half in the grass

and half in the chocolate cake,

walks over to your house in the bashful light

of November, or the forceful light of summer.

You put your hand on her shoulder,

or you put your hand on his shoulder.

The friend is indefinite. You are both

so tired, no one ever notices the sleeping bags

inside you and under your eyes when you’re talking

together about the glue of this life, the sticky

saturation of bodies into darkness. The friend’s crisis

of faith about faith is unnerving in its power

to influence belief, not in or toward some other

higher power, but away from all power in the grass

or the lake with your hand on her shoulder, your hand

on his shoulder. You tell the friend the best things

you can imagine, and every single one of them has

already happened, so you recount them

of great necessity with nostalgic, atomic ferocity,

and one by one by one until many. The eggbirds whistle

the gargantuan trees. The noiserocks fall twisted

into each other’s dreams, their colorful paratrooping,

their skinny dark jeans, little black walnuts

to the surface of this earth. You and the friend

remain twisted together, thinking your simultaneous

and inarticulate thoughts in physical lawlessness,

in chemical awkwardness. It is too much

to be so many different things at once. The friend

brings black hole candy to your lips, and jumping

off the rooftops of your city, the experience.

So much confusion — the several layers of exhaustion,

and being a friend with your hands in your pockets,

and the friend’s hands in your pockets.

O bitter black walnuts of this parachuted earth!

O gongbirds and appleflocks! The friend

puts her hand on your shoulder. The friend

puts his hand on your shoulder. You find

a higher power when you look.”

A Poison Tree, by William Blake, describes the importance of forgiveness (and the dangers of harboring resentment):

“I was angry with my friend; 

I told my wrath, my wrath did end. 

I was angry with my foe: 

I told it not, my wrath did grow. 

And I waterd it in fears, 

Night & morning with my tears: 

And I sunned it with smiles, 

And with soft deceitful wiles. 

And it grew both day and night. 

Till it bore an apple bright. 

And my foe beheld it shine, 

And he knew that it was mine. 

And into my garden stole, 

When the night had veild the pole; 

In the morning glad I see; 

My foe outstretched beneath the tree.”

What is a poetic saying about friends?

One poetic saying about friends comes from Albert Camus, a 20th-century French philosopher and author. The saying reflects the equality and mutual solidarity between friends. 

“Don’t walk in front of me… I may not follow

Don’t walk behind me… I may not lead

Walk beside me… just be my friend”

Another poetic turn describing friendship is likely To All My Friends by Hauntie:

“To all my friends who have been with me in weakness

when waterfalls rush down my two sides

To all my friends who have felt me in anguish

when this earthen back breaks between the crack of two blades

To all my friends who have held me in rage

when fire tears through swallows behind tight grins

I know you

I see you 

I hear you“

William Shakespeare speaks of friendship in his poem The Passionate Pilgrim: 

“He that is thy friend indeed,

He will help thee in thy need:

If thou sorrow, he will weep;

If thou wake, he cannot sleep:

Thus of every grief in heart

He with thee doth bear a part.

These are certain signs to know

Faithful friend from flattering foe.”

In the below poem by Stevie Smith, titled The Pleasures of Friendship, the joys of savoring a close relationship are explored. Short friendship poems can be a quick way to appreciate your friends. In four lines, Stevie Smith expresses the pleasure of a friendship so easy that time doesn't seem to pass while she and her friend are together. 

“The pleasures of friendship are exquisite,

How pleasant to go to a friend on a visit!

I go to my friend; we walk on the grass,

And the hours and moments like minutes pass.”

In A Time to Talk, by Robert Frost, the importance of prioritizing friendship is illustrated:

“When a friend calls to me from the road

And slows his horse to a meaning walk,

I don't stand still and look around

On all the hills I haven't hoed,

And shout from where I am, What is it?

No, not as there is a time to talk.

I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,

Blade-end up and five feet tall,

And plod: I go up to the stone wall

For a friendly visit.”

In an excerpt from the poem Sybil, by Julia Ward Howe, we are reminded of the pleasures of spending time with true friends.

“Glad should I be to sit beside you,

And let long hours glide by,

Reading, through all your sweet narrations,

The language of your eye.”

Cameron Awkward-Rich illustrates the way friends often flourish together—like a bread loaf rising over time—in an excerpt from his poem Cento Between the Ending and the End:

“when I call out

all my friends are there

everyone we love

is still alive gathered

at the lakeside

like constellations

my honeyed kin

honeyed light

beneath the sky

a garden blue stalks

white buds the moon’s

marble glow the fire

distant & flickering

the body whole bright-

winged brimming

with the hours

of the day beautiful

nameless planet. Oh

friends, my friends—

bloom how you must, wild

until we are free.”

Another moving ode to friendship is Ali Power’s “My Friends”:

“my friends
create the mood
by describing it
turning off all the lights
a place in our minds
wakes as in water
we dance alone and with each other
we make circles around each other
get close then step back
then get close again
my friends
the furniture is round
the furniture is covered
in bluets
there are drugs my friends
why be evasive
when you can listen to an audio book
about a biologist
on a mysterious expedition
to Area X
an area cut off from civilization
today I’ve spoken to no one
and I feel fine
but feelings aren’t facts my friends
and I’ve eaten the last of the cheese
and table water crackers
and I have no salary
but I will hold you”

Bill Watterson, creator of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, had this to say about best friends:

“Things are never quite as scary when you’ve got a best friend.” 

Another option comes from William Carey:

“All my friends are but one, but he is all-sufficient” 

Emily Dickinson offered similar sentiments about friendship, expressing: 

“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” 

In her poem In the Company of Women, January Gill-O’Neil discusses the joy true friendship can bring:

“Make me laugh over coffee,
make it a double, make it frothy
so it seethes in our delight.
Make my cup overflow
with your small happiness.
I want to hoot and snort and cackle and chuckle.
Let your laughter fill me like a bell.
Let me listen to your ringing and singing
as Billie Holiday croons above our heads.”

In simple words, friendship refers to a close relationship between two people based on respect, kindness, and platonic love. Friendships are reciprocal, meaning both people actively participate in the relationship. It is also voluntary; no one can be forced to be another person’s friend. Friendships sometimes resemble romantic relationships in terms of closeness and emotional intimacy, but sexual encounters are usually not part of the relationship. 

For most people, friendship is an important part of life. Evidence suggests that friendship plays a significant role in helping someone maintain good mental health, find support, and receive validation. The absence of friendship and social support can lead to an increased risk of depression, and it is thought that friends help people safeguard themselves from difficult circumstances. When leaning on friends, tough times often melt away as laughter fills the air. Friends can be confidants, sources of support, and dear comrades. They can be there for you when you are struggling and when you feel fine.  

A metaphor for friendship might be catching sight of a safe harbor after sailing in a strong storm. Friends can help people feel better about their lives, even during adverse circumstances. They can offer support, validation, and kindness, which may significantly bolster a person’s resolve. The strength from social support is akin to finding a safe place in a storm, a place to recover and wait for the worst to pass. 

Some basic steps to writing a poem are listed below: 

1. Come up with a topic. Think about what you want to express to your friend; how can that best be conveyed? 

2. Journal. Sit in front of a page with nothing but the topic written at the time, set a timer for 15 - 30 minutes and write down everything you can about the topic. 

3. Think about form. Poetry comes in many forms; select one that works best for you. 

4. Write the poem’s first line. There are many ways to start poems, one of which is likely to resonate with you. Take time to play around with different openings for your poem. 

5. Develop Ideas. Increase the information in the poem and add details where they are likely to end up in the final version. The poem does not need to be anywhere near complete but should have a rough structure. 

6. Write the closing line. Some poems come full circle when ending. Others use different techniques. Try different options until you find something that works for you. 

7. Edit and Revise. Go back through your poem multiple times. Make adjustments to the flow, structure, and details of the work until you are satisfied.