A Friend

friends , fickle friends


reluctant when there is need

sniggering when you bleed

listening to your pleas with barely hidden glee

and greed

Strong friends

Bright and true

to your aid unbidden

in their smile nothing is hidden

and in wounds shared

and breast bared

the very tempest they dare

true souls run true

false souls yield bitter and sour fruits

let us true friends let our laughter ring like the clearest bell

our joys flow like the sweetest waters

and our sorrows they will make the poets weep

at the depth and breadth of the unveiled self

the spirit of friends dear and true