Friends

Friends

Last week upon the radio I heard a lady speak
How many friends can you have? This was her critique.
Her theory was that friends are two
And acquaintances form the rest.
You mustn’t count your neighbours,
And this bit is the best -
Relatives and Parents don’t count towards the ration,
warming to her theme, she announced without compassion.

This week upon the TV I heard a young man say
That mutual affection can be shown in many a way.
Friends are by definition,
people that you like,
And many sorts of rapport
can you with another strike.
No time-serving regulation rules who you call your friend
To quantify selection is fruitless in the end.

So armed with all this ammo,
I included all these people on my ‘friendly’ list;
Parents, relations, neighbours, colleagues,
those who make me laugh and anyone I’ve kissed.


Linda Prince