The Silent Friend

This poem was selected for publication in a poetrynation.com 2023 contest:

The Silent Friend

I read through old letters from years ago,
A handful from my family, the rest from a friend,
I read them all, and they took me back,
Even loyal friends come and go.

Not this friend,
The one that came and went.

We do not spend hours in deep discussion,
We do not push each other to be better,
We do not seek to give or take advice,
We don’t even check-in to say hello.

Not this friend,
That one that came and went.

Yet, does our friendship not survive?
If only in the deepest part of my heart?
Yes, that friendship has been secreted away,
Into a treasured part of the mind.

It plays its part with silent force –
A core piece of who I am,
Though years have passed and seasons changed,
The good friend, gone silent, remains.