5 Poems for Friendsgiving

Friends are the family we choose, and Friendsgiving is the perfect time of year to celebrate them. While many of us will be facing a non-traditional holiday season, that doesn’t mean we can’t show our love and appreciation for the closest people in our lives. Whether your BFF is your roomie or someone who lives a million miles away, we’ve selected five poems that say “thanks for being there—not just this year, but every year.” 

 

“Friendship” by Henry David Thoreau

In this classic poem about friendship, Thoreau compares a strong friendship to two sturdy oaks. In his transcendentalist way, Thoreau says that the strength of a true friendship cannot be seen. Rather, it is built on a history of kindness and strength that lives beneath the surface. Thoreau writes: 

 

Two sturdy oaks I mean, which side by side,

Withstand the winter’s storm,

And spite of wind and tide,

Grow up the meadow’s pride,

For both are strong

Above they barely touch, but undermined

Down to their deepest source,

Admiring you shall find

Their roots are intertwined

Insep’rably.

 

“we all move forward when… “ by Rupi Kaur

Let the women in your life know that support is a two-way street, and their support has meant the world to you over the years. Kaur writes:

 

we all move forward when

we recognize how resilient

and striking the women 

around us are

 

“A Time to Talk” by Robert Frost

“A Time to Talk” is for a friend whose voice you never grow tired of. Frost’s traditional voice lends itself to the universal theme of friendship in this kindhearted poem. It’s also the perfect reminder to stop and savor the time spent with friends. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind and forget to make time for the people who make life worth living. 

 

When a friend calls to me from the road

And slows his horse to a meaning walk,

I don’t stand still and look around

On all the hills I haven’t hoed,

And shout from where I am, What is it?

No, not as there is a time to talk.

I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,

Blade-end up and five feet tall,

And plod: I go up to the stone wall

For a friendly visit.

 

“Soaked” by Loren Broaddus

This wistful poem is a perfect match for those friendships that began in childhood. Life can be harsh, but the youthful memories formed with dear friends leave a redeeming light in its wake. Broaddus writes: 

 

yet on this clear spring 

morning little matters 

except soft singles over second, 

skinny legs running wildly 

around first, the dew soaking 

our blue jeans to the knees.

 

“And I Don’t Like to Admit it, But…” by Emily Dalton

This poem is for the friend whose sense of humor can lighten a quiet room, the friend who has no filter, and the friend who never fails to make you smile. Dalton writes: 

 

You’re funny 

and I admire your 

shameless ability to speak your mind, 

and I marvel and laugh at your nonsense