Friendship is perhaps the most multi-purpose of all of our relationships. The ideal versions of all of our other relationships involve friendship. We hope to become friends with our family members. Lasting romantic partnerships needs to be undergirded by a deep friendship. In honor of this most basic of relationships, here are eight poems about friendship.
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1. To My Excellent Lucasia, On Our Friendship
I did not live until this time
Crowned my felicity,
When I could say without a crime,
I am not thine, but thee.
This carcass breathed, and walked, and slept,
So that the world believed
There was a soul the motions kept;
But they were all deceived.
For as a watch by art is wound
To motion, such was mine:
But never had Orinda found
A soul till she found thine;
Which now inspires, cures and supplies,
And guides my darkened breast:
For thou art all that I can prize,
My joy, my life, my rest.
No bridegroom's nor crown-conqueror's mirth
To mine compared can be:
They have but pieces of the earth,
I've all the world in thee.
Then let our flames still light and shine,
And no false fear control,
As innocent as our design,
Immortal as our soul.
This poem is a celebration of the closeness and joy of friendship. The poet, Katherine Phillips, expresses the old idea that friendship is one soul in two bodies. Phillips is also known as "the Matchless Orinda." "Orinda" in the poem is a reference to herself by that name.
2. Friendship
I think awhile of Love, and while I think,
Love is to me a world,
Sole meat and sweetest drink,
And close connecting link
'Tween heaven and earth.
I only know it is, not how or why,
My greatest happiness;
However hard I try,
Not if I were to die,
Can I explain.
I fain would ask my friend how it can be,
But when the time arrives,
Then Love is more lovely
Than anything to me,
And so I'm dumb.
For if the truth were known, Love cannot speak,
But only thinks and does;
Though surely out 'twill leak
Without the help of Greek,
Or any tongue.
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A man may love the truth and practiSe it,
Beauty he may admire,
And goodness not omit,
As much as may befit
To reverence.
But only when these three together meet,
As they always incline,
And make one soul the seat,
And favourite retreat,
Of loveliness;
When under kindred shape, like loves and hates
And a kindred nature,
Proclaim us to be mates,
Exposed to equal fates
Eternally;
And each may other help, and service do,
Drawing Love's bands more tight,
Service he ne'er shall rue
While one and one make two,
And two are one;
In such case only doth man fully prove
Fully as man can do,
What power there is in Love
His inmost soul to move
Resistlessly.
Two sturdy oaks I mean, which side by side,
Withstand the winter's storm,
And spite of wind and tide,
Grow up the meadow's pride,
For both are strong.
Above they barely touch, but undermined
Down to their deepest source,
Admiring you shall find
Their roots are intertwined
Insep'rably.
One of the most famous poems about friendship, Henry David Thoreau's "Friendship" challenges some of our modern conception of friendship. We may think of friends as people that we have a good time with or people that we can vent to. Thoreau offers a vision of friendship as a source of strength that helps two people grow to their potential.
3. On the Friendship Betwixt Two Ladies
Tell me, lovely, loving pair!
Why so kind, and so severe?
Why so careless of our care,
Only to yourselves so dear?
By this cunning change of hearts,
You the power of love control;
While the boy's eluded darts
Can arrive at neither soul.
For in vain to either breast
Still beguiled love does come,
Where he finds a foreign guest,
Neither of your hearts at home.
Debtors thus with like design,
When they never mean to pay,
That they may the law decline,
To some friend make all away.
Not the silver doves that fly,
Yoked in Cytherea's car;
Not the wings that lift so high,
And convey her son so far;
Are so lovely, sweet, and fair,
Or do more ennoble love;
Are so choicely matched a pair,
Or with more consent do move.
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Although a man wrote this poem, this is a friendship poem for her. One of the benefits of close friendships is the freedom to be choosy about our romantic relationships. After all, we have many of the benefits of companionship with our friends.
4. Friendship
By Emily Bronte
Love is like the wild rose-briar,
Friendship like the holly-tree-
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms
But which will bloom most constantly?
The wild rose-briar is sweet in spring,
Its summer blossoms scent the air;
Yet wait till winter comes again
And who will call the wild-briar fair?
Then scorn the silly rose-wreath now
And deck thee with the holly's sheen,
That when December blights thy brow
He still may leave thy garland green.
Another friendship poem for her is "Love and Friendship" by Emily Bronte. Unlike Thoreau, who talked about "love" more generally as including the animating force of friendship, Bronte is contrasting romantic love with friendship. This is a poem to remember when we are tempted to let the excitement of a new lover tempt us to neglect our friends.
5. The Pleasures of Friendship
By Stevie Smith
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.
Sometimes short friendship poems are the best friendship poems. In just four lines, Stevie Smith expresses the pleasure of a friendship so close and easy that time doesn't seem to pass while we are together.
6. A Time o Talk
By Robert Frost
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.
This poem by Robert Frost is a little longer, but still a short friendship poem at ten lines. Instead of expounding on the depths and joys of friendship, Frost reflects on the practical importance of making time for friends.
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7. Your Catfish Friend
If
I
were
to
live
my
life
in
catfish
forms
in
scaffolds
of
skin
and
whiskers
at
the
bottom
of
a
pond
and
you
were
to
come
by
one
evening
when
the
moon
was
shining
down
into
my
dark
home
and
stand
there
at
the
edge
of
my
affection
and
think,
"It's
beautiful
here
by
this
pond.
I
wish
somebody
loved
me,"
I'd
love
you
and
be
your
catfish
friend
and
drive
such
lonely
thoughts
from
your
mind
and
suddenly
you
would
be
at
peace,
and
ask
yourself,
"I
wonder
if
there
are
any
catfish
in
this
pond?
It
seems
like
a
perfect
place
for
them."
Funny friendship poems don't have to be cutesy. This whimsical piece tickles our imaginations and portrays a deep love and connection with a friend in a way that doesn't come across as cliched or too intense.
8. Since Hanna Moved Away
The
tires
on
my
bike
are
flat.
The
sky
is
grouchy
gray.
At
least
it
sure
feels
like
that
Since
Hanna
moved
away.
Chocolate
ice
cream
tastes
like
prunes.
December's
come
to
stay.
They've
taken
back
the
Mays
and
Junes
Since
Hanna
moved
away.
Flowers
smell
like
halibut.
Velvet
feels
like
hay.
Every
handsome
dog's
a
mutt
Since
Hanna
moved
away.
Nothing's
fun
to
laugh
about.
Nothing's
fun
to
play.
They
call
me,
but
I
won't
come
out
Since
Hanna
moved
away.
Written from the perspective of a child, this poem doesn't use fancy language or obscure references to express itself. Its very simplicity makes it relatable. We've all lost a friend, and it is a testimony to the power of friendship that the absence of that person can take away our appetite for everything that we usually enjoy in life.
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What If You Can't Relate To These Poems?
Friendship is a beautiful thing, but friendship can also be a source of pain. If you have lost a friend and are struggling to cope with grief, or if you are feeling isolated and alone, consider reaching out for help. The trained professionals at BetterHelp can help you cope with your feelings of loss or isolation. They may also be able to help you figure out how to reach out to those around you for new or renewed friendships.