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A million “I love you’s” will never properly convey how much I cherish my friends, especially after the past several years of navigating the world and its changes. Yet isn’t it funny how, even in a world where we’re constantly connected through screens, we can sometimes feel more isolated than ever? As we navigate the complexities of modern life — whether it’s dealing with global challenges or celebrating personal triumphs — the bonds we forge with our friends continue to be a source of strength, joy, and comfort.

Poetry has long been a medium through which we express the nuances of human relationships, and friendship is no exception. There’s something magical about how a few carefully chosen words can capture the essence of companionship, making us feel understood and connected even in long distance friendships. I’ve been both reading and writing poetry when loneliness comes calling, allowing each stanza to nourish me (and sending them to friends so they can feel the love, too).

“As we navigate the complexities of modern life — whether it’s dealing with global challenges or celebrating personal triumphs — the bonds we forge with our friends continue to be a source of strength, joy, and comfort.”

So, I’ve pulled together these poems that reflect the inherent beauty of our friendships, no matter what stage we’re at. As you dive into these poetic gems, I hope you find inspiration to cherish and nurture your own friendships. Spanning loss, celebration, and revolution, these poems remind me that we are all stronger together. Many are just excerpts, so be sure to click through to read the poems in their entirety. Sit with them, meditate on them, and share them with your loved ones. And when you’re done, share your favorite poems about friendship in the comments below. 💛

1. Alone by Maya Angelou

[Excerpt]

“Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don’t believe I’m wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.”

More by Maya Angelou

2. In The Company Of Women by January Gill-O’Neil

[Excerpt]

“Make me laugh over coffee,
make it a double, make it frothy
so it seethes in our delight.
Make my cup overflow
with your small happiness.
I want to hoot and snort and cackle and chuckle.
Let your laughter fill me like a bell.
Let me listen to your ringing and singing
as Billie Holiday croons above our heads.”

More by January Gill-O’Neil

3. What is the greatest gift? by Mary Oliver

[Excerpt]

“What is the greatest gift?
Could it be the world itself—the oceans, the meadowlark,
the patience of the trees in the wind?
Could it be love, with its sweet clamor of passion?

Something else—something else entirely 
holds me in thrall.
That you have a life that I wonder about
more than I wonder about my own.“

More by Mary Oliver

4. To All My Friends by HAUNTIE

[Excerpt]

“To all my friends who have been with me in weakness
when water falls rush down my two sides

To all my friends who have felt me in anguish
when this earthen back breaks between the crack of two blades

To all my friends who have held me in rage
when fire tears through swallows behind tight grins

I know you
I see you 
I hear you“

More by HAUNTIE

5. My Friends by Ali Power

[Excerpt] 

“why be evasive
when you can listen to an audio book
about a biologist
on a mysterious expedition
to Area X
an area cut off from civilization
today I’ve spoken to no one
and I feel fine
but feelings aren’t facts my friends
and I’ve eaten the last of the cheese
and table water crackers
and I have no salary
but I will hold you”

More by Ali Power

6. Sybil by Julia Ward Howe

[Excerpt]

“Your head is wild with books, Sybil,
     But your heart is good and kind—
I feel a new contentment near you,
     A pleasure of the mind.

Glad should I be to sit beside you,
    And let long hours glide by,
Reading, through all your sweet narrations,
    The language of your eye.”

More by Julia Ward Howe

7. On Friendship by Khalil Gibran

[Excerpt]

“And a youth said, Speak to us of Friendship.
     And he answered, saying:
    Your friend is your needs answered.
     He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
     And he is your board and your fireside.
     For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.”

More by Khalil Gibran

8. Red Brocade by Naomi Shihab Nye

[Excerpt]

“The Arabs used to say,
When a stranger appears at your door,
feed him for three days
before asking who he is,
where he’s come from,
where he’s headed.
That way, he’ll have strength
enough to answer.
Or, by then you’ll be
such good friends
you don’t care.”

More by Naomi Shihab Nye

9. 1383 by Emily Dickinson

“Long Years apart – can make no
Breach a second cannot fill –
The absence of the Witch does not
Invalidate the spell –

The embers of a Thousand Years
Uncovered by the Hand
That fondled them when they were Fire
Will stir and understand –“

More by Emily Dickinson

10. acknowledgments by Danez Smith

[Excerpt]

“at the function, i feel myself splitting into too many rooms of static
you touch my hand & there i am

•

do you want to be best friends?
a box for yes, a box for no”

More by Danez Smith

11. Comrades Four by Claude McKay

[Excerpt] 

“Dear comrades, my comrades,
    My heart is always true;
An’ ever an’ ever
    I shall remember you.

We all joined together,
    Together joined we four;
An’ I have been first to
    Pass t’rough the open door.“

More by Claude McKay

12. Love and Friendship by Emily Bronte

[Excerpt]

“Love is like the wild rose-briar,
Friendship like the holly-tree—
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms
But which will bloom most constantly?“

More by Emily Bronte

13. A Time To Talk by Robert Frost

“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.”

More by Robert Frost

14. i want to apologize by rupi kaur

“i want to apologize to all the women i have called beautiful
before i’ve called them intelligent or brave
i am sorry i made it sound as though
something as simple as what you’re born with
is all you have to be proud of
when you have broken mountains with your wit
from now on i will say things like
you are resilient, or you are extraordinary
not because i don’t think you’re beautiful
but because i need you to know
you are more than that.” 

More by Rupi Kaur

15. To The Oppressors by Pauli Murray

“Now you are strong
And we are but grapes aching with ripeness.
Crush us!
Squeeze from us all the brave life
Contained in these full skins.
But ours is a subtle strength
Potent with centuries of yearning,
Of being kegged and shut away
In dark forgotten places.
We shall endure
To steal your senses
In that lonely twilight
Of your winter’s grief.”

More by Pauli Murray

16. Silhouette by Janice Lobo Sapigao

[Excerpt]

”more and more of my friends
are becoming parents or partners
to plants

i have lived long and short enough
to remember the homegirls who
danced non-stop until three a.m.
the moon a parabola to our party
i’ve grown up enough
to see them sing their favorite slow songs
to herbs and succulents on their windowsills
in homes they sowed from dreams”

More by Janice Lobo Sapigao

17. Cento Between the Ending and the End by Cameron Awkward-Rich

[Excerpt]

“it is like the world

hasn’t happened

when I call out

all my friends are there

everyone we love

is still alive gathered

at the lakeside

like constellations

my honeyed kin

honeyed light

beneath the sky”

More by Cameron Awkward-Rich

Emily McGowan is the Editorial Director at The Good Trade. She studied Creative Writing and Business at Indiana University, and has over ten years of experience as a writer and editor in sustainability and lifestyle spaces. Since 2017, she’s been discovering and reviewing the top sustainable home, fashion, beauty, and wellness products so readers can make their most informed decisions. Her editorial work has been recognized by major publications like The New York Times and BBC Worklife. You can usually find her in her colorful Los Angeles apartment journaling, caring for her rabbits and cat, or gaming. Say hi on Instagram!