Introduction: The Timeless Value of Friendship in Poetry

Friendship has always been a common theme in poetry. Poems about friendship can take many forms and represent a wide variety of relationships. Sometimes, the friendship is between neighbors, other times, it is between a parent and a child. Sometimes, the friendship is decades-long; other times, the friendship is newly budding. In any case, friendship poems can be found in any time or cultural setting and illustrate the consistent human need for companionship. 

Classic Poems about Friendship

In his poem about friendship, “Hug O’ War”, Shel Silverstein describes a world without fighting, arguing, or tug o’ war; rather, he hopes for a world where we are affectionate toward one another. In this world he imagines, people try to outdo one another with shows of friendship, and the result of this kind of world is that “everyone wins”. 

Another example of a friendship poem is “A Pact” by Ezra Pound. In this poem, Pound makes an agreement with Whitman, even though the two of them have never met. This poem, therefore, illustrates an imagined relationship. Pound imagines himself apologizing for detesting Whitman’s style when he was younger. By the end of the poem, he asks Whitman to restore their “relationship” as Pound has now realized the value of Whitman’s poetic style. 

A Tribute to Best Friends: Celebrating the Deepest Bonds

While friendships can exist on many different levels, best friend poems emphasize deep connections between individuals and the power of shared memory. For example, William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 30” describes the power of contemplating one’s relationship with a best friend in the midst of sadness:

“But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,

All losses are restored and sorrows end.”

By diverting mournful thoughts into positive memories of friendship, the speaker is better equipped to overcome negative experiences in life. 

Another best friend poem is an unusual one as it describes a longtime relationship between two neighbors. Robert Frost’s poem, “Mending Wall”, depicts a wall between two neighbors. Even though this wall is a barrier between them, the neighbors consistently and equally repair the wall throughout the years. When the speaker asks the purpose of the wall, the neighbor merely responds with, “good fences make good neighbors”. It is ironic that even though the wall separates these two neighbors, that same wall is what unites them, year after year, as they work side by side to repair it. 

Odes to Togetherness: Poem about Friendship

In John Donne’s poem, “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning: Opening Analogy”, Donne argues that we should not mourn the loss or passing of a dear friend. He explains that the closest of friends share one soul, and that when one of them dies, it is merely their bond growing, not breaking in two. 

“Our two souls therefore, which are one,

Though I must go, endure not yet

A breach, but an expansion.

Like gold to airy thinness beat.”

Donne also compares the closeness of two friends to needles on a compass; one friend stays still (the orienteering needle) while the other, the magnetic needle, “roams”, but when called, the roaming friend always returns back to the one who stands still. In his poem, “Funeral Blues”, W.H. Auden takes a very different approach to the loss of a dear friend. Auden calls for both silence and ceremony after the loss of a friend who he describes as his “North, South, East and West”. He orders the sun, moon, and stars to be put away and the ocean dried up, because without his friend, “nothing now can ever come to any good.”

Modern Verses on Friendship: New Perspectives on an Age-Old Bond

In her poem, “Grace”, Sarah Gambito imagines a gathering of friends holding hands and praying “grace” over their friendship. Gambito uses imagery of flowers, cherry trees, and diadems to describe the unbreakable bond between friends. Conversely, she describes tearing things like oceans and cities apart in order to be with her closest friends again. 

Sherman Alexie’s poem, “The Facebook Sonnet”, satirizes friendship in a digital age where we have access to countless “friends” online but are the loneliest we’ve ever been. Alexie begins the poem with, “Welcome to the endless high-school reunion. Welcome to past friends and lovers, however kind or cruel.”  In an online setting, the idea of a “friend” takes on an entirely different meaning, and our so-called “friends” often end up being superficial or worse.    

Conclusion: The Universal Language of Friendship in Poetry

Poems about friendship resonate across cultures and ages. As satirized by Alexie, social media in the 21st century has certainly impacted our ability to form true friendships, but it is not all bad. Social media can spark friendships between people with similar interests, while face-to-face interaction serves to deepen those relationships. Humans have craved relationships throughout time, and friendship poetry is a testament to the immeasurable value of a good friend.