Today we’re going to write a poem about a friend or about friendship. Friendships are a powerful force in our personal lives. They are the bonds that we choose, the intimate relationships that nourish us, sometimes more than family members.
Friendship is complicated. A poem can find many ways into expressing some facet of this relationship — joy at having someone on whom to rely; relief at having someone in whom you can confide; frustration when you disagree or argue; grief when you lose a friend to estrangement or death.
In Emily Dickinson’s poem “I Should Not Dare to Leave my Friend,” the speaker expresses fear of leaving home because of the guilt they’d feel if their friend died while they were absent:
I should not dare to leave my friend,
Because — because if he should die
While I was gone — and I — too late —
Should reach the Heart that wanted me —
If I should disappoint the eyes
That hunted — hunted so — to see —
And could not bear to shut until
They ‘noticed’ me — they noticed me —
In “The Pleasures of Friendship,” Stevie Smith explores the simple joy of being among friends while being aware that the time they have together is finite:
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.
Find your poem by thinking of a friend and a memory you have of them that is vivid. It could be one of happiness or fun, it could be one of loss or frustration. When you think about the person, what is the first feeling that strikes you?
