I once heard if your friends were true
You’d never be in need.
They would always be there for you,
And giving without greed.

But then I opened up my eyes,
And saw this was not so.
That sometimes friends would tell me lies,
True feelings would not show.

Sometimes I let this get me down.
Thinking all the while,
That I could not remove my frown,
And somehow find a smile.

But there were times that friends were there,
Or I was there for them.
These times that I could show I care,
And they would not condemn.

These times that stick as memories,
Make up for all the pain,
And I would not look with displease
To live these times again.

By Lloyd McLean (1994)

This poem is part of the Seasons of Emotion collection