20 Poems About Friendship to Share with Your BFF
Updated: Apr. 29, 2024
These poems about friendship are sweet, relatable and heartfelt ways to say "I love you"
Friendship poems to celebrate your bestie
Birthdays are fantastic occasions, but who says you can’t celebrate friendship any day? Whether it’s with a warm friendship quote or a thoughtful gift (like a book about friendship), there are so many ways to show your bestie some love—especially if they’re avid readers and word connoisseurs. One of the best ways to show you care? With heartfelt and relatable poems about friendship, of course!
No matter what kind of friendship you have, whether it’s with your childhood buddy from kindergarten, your long-time neighbor down the street or even your fellow dog-walking pal, these platonic love poems about friendship are tailor-made for every type of friend in your life. They’re sweet and packed with love, just what you need to remind your BFF how much they mean to you.
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1. “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.
Robert Frost was a beloved figure in American poetry! His poem “A Time To Talk” reminds us about the essence of friendship. This poem about friendship doubles as an inspirational poem about life, as it’s a gentle nudge to prioritize those heart-to-heart moments with friends and family, because in the grand scheme of things, they’re what truly matter.
2. “On Friendship” by Kahlil Gibran
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.
When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the “nay” in your own mind, nor
do you withhold the “ay.”
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are
born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the
mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery us not love but a
net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.
And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of
pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese-American poet with a knack for tapping into the depths of human connection. Gibran’s short poem speaks volumes about true friendship, suggesting that it transcends mere words.
3. “Come Let Us Be Friends” by Sarah Lee Brown Fleming
Come, let us be friends, you and I,
E’en though the world doth hate at this hour;
Let’s bask in the sunlight of a love so high
That war cannot dim it with all its armed power.
Come, let us be friends, you and I,
The world hath her surplus of hatred today;
She needeth more love, see, she droops with a sigh,
Where her axis doth slant in the sky far away.
Come, let us be friends, you and I,
And love each other so deep and so well,
That the world may grow steady and forward fly,
Lest she wander towards chaos and drop into hell.
Sarah Fleming was a Black poet who advocated tirelessly for African-American women’s rights. Her poem about friendship echoes a universal truth: the world could always use a little more love. It’s a gentle reminder of the beauty and importance of friendship, urging us to cherish those bonds that light up our lives.
4. “To My Friends” by Countee Cullen
You feeble few that hold me somewhat more
Than all I am; base clay and spittle joined
To shape an aimless whim substantial; coined
Amiss one idle hour, this heart, though poor, —
O golden host I count upon the ends
Of one bare hand, with fingers still to spare, —
Is rich enough for this: to harbor there
In opulence its frugal meed of friends.
Let neither lose his faith, lest by such loss
Each find insufferable his daily cross.
And be not less immovable to me,
Not less love-leal and staunch, than my heart is.
In brief, these fine heroics come to this,
My friends: if you are true, I needs must be.
A prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance and a poet who defied societal norms, Countee Cullen wrote poetry that captured the essence of the human experience. He has a range of famous poems that remind us of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of prejudice and discrimination.
5. “To Our Friends” by Lucian B. Watkins
We’ve kept the faith. Our souls’ high dreams
Untouched by bondage and its rod,
Burn on! and on! and on! It seems
We shall have FRIENDS—while God is God!
Lucian Watkins was a World War I veteran and a poet whose words resonate with enduring friendship. He wrote this friendship poem as a testament to the strength of bonds forged in the crucible of adversity. Through short, the poem uses powerful language, painting a picture of the unwavering loyalty and divine protection surrounding the cherished connection between friends.
6. “Communication” by Mark Van Doren
Suddenly, across the road,
A river of strange waters flowed,
And my old friend I ran to see
Stood and only waved at me,
I cried aloud the things we did
So long ago—and the stream slid
More quietly a little while.
I saw him nod and faintly smile,
Remembering… Then all around
The current intervened its sound.
A poet by day and critic by night, Mark Doren was a regular at The Nation in the roaring twenties. He even won a Pulitzer Prize for the “Collected Poems 1922–1938” poetry collection in 1940! His poem “Communication” is one of those friendship poems you can share with your long-distance bestie.
7. “To Susan B. Anthony on her eightieth birthday” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
To Susan B. Anthony
on her eightieth birthday
February 15, 1900
I
My honored friend, I’ll ne’er forget,
That day in June, when first we met:
Oh! would I had the skill to paint
My vision of that “Quaker Saint”:
Robed in pale blue and silver gray,
No silly fashions did she essay:
Her brow so smooth and fair,
‘Neath coils of soft brown hair:
Her voice was like the lark, so clear,
So rich, and pleasant to the ear:
The “‘Prentice hand,” on man oft tried,
Now made in her the Nation’s pride!
II
We met and loved, ne’er to part,
Hand clasped in hand, heart bound to heart.
We’ve traveled West, years together,
Day and night, in stormy weather:
Climbing the rugged Suffrage hill,
Bravely facing every ill:
Resting, speaking, everywhere;
Oft-times in the open air;
From sleighs, ox-carts, and coaches,
Besieged with bugs and roaches:
All for the emancipation
Of the women of our Nation.
As one of the powerhouses behind the women’s rights movement, Elizabeth Stanton set the agenda for women’s rights, guiding the struggle well into the 20th century. If you enjoy poems by Amanda Gormon, you’ll surely like her work as well. And get this: she penned this heartfelt poem about friendship for her advocate Susan B. Anthony’s 80th birthday. Now, that’s friendship goals!
8. “Sybil” by Julia Ward Howe
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.
Since the maternal saint I worshipped
Did look and love her last,
No woman o’er my wayward spirit
Such gentle spell has cast.
Oh! tell me of your varied fortunes,
For you know not, from your face
Looks out strange sadness, lit with rapture,
And melancholy grace.
Julia Howe, a prominent social reformer, was known during the Civil War era for her iconic anthem “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” But that’s not all—she was also a trailblazer for women, writing books about everything from poetry to travel. Oh, and did I mention she co-founded the women’s suffrage movement with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton? Talk about a trio of trailblazers! You can read her full poem “Sybil” here.
9. “Sudden Friendship” by Elsa Gidlow
Yesterday we walked apart,
Separate and cold and mortal.
Now the mystic kiss has joined us,
Now we stand inside the portal
That permits of no returning,
And my heart is strangely burning.
I know not what the word may be,
Or what the charm, or what the token,
That has filled us with this glory.
But never let the charm be broken.
Let it stay a mystery
For all time to be.
Yesterday, with lighter joys,
We wantoned at the outer portal.
Now, with love’s old alchemy,
We have made ourselves immortal.
If you’re looking for friendship poems by poet extraordinaires and deep thinkers, look no further than Elsa Gidlow. She churned out various books and prose. And here’s a fun fact: her collection “On a Grey Thread” is thought to be the first-ever published collection of openly lesbian love poetry in North America. Now that’s groundbreaking!
10. “After the Quarrel” by Paul Laurence Dunbar
So we, who’ve supped the self-same cup,
To-night must lay our friendship by;
Your wrath has burned your judgment up,
Hot breath has blown the ashes high.
You say that you are wronged— ah, well,
I count that friendship poor, at best
A bauble, a mere bagatelle,
That cannot stand so slight a test.
I fain would still have been your friend,
And talked and laughed and loved with you;
But since it must, why, let it end;
The false but dies, ‘t is not the true.
So we are favored, you and I,
Who only want the living truth.
It was not good to nurse the lie;
‘Tis well it died in harmless youth.
I go from you to-night to sleep.
Why, what’s the odds? why should I grieve?
I have no fund of tears to weep
For happenings that undeceive.
The days shall come, the days shall go
Just as they came and went before.
The sun shall shine, the streams shall flow
Though you and I are friends no more.
Despite being known as a literary legend, Paul Dunbar came from challenging beginnings. His parents were formerly enslaved and he struggled to find work and fund his passion for law due to his race. In spite of obstacles growing up, he soared to fame as one of the first Black poets to influence American literature. His full poem “After the Quarrel” can be read here.
11. “To Bennie” by Claude McKay
You say, dearest comrade, my love has grown
cold,
But you are mistaken, it burns as of old;
And no power below, dearest lad, nor above,
Can ever lessen, frien’ Bennie, my love.
Could you but look in my eyes, you would see
That ’tis a wrong thought you have about me;
Could you but feel my hand laid on your head,
Never again would you say what you’ve said.
Naught, O my Bennie, our friendship can sever,
Dearly I love you, shall love you for ever;
Moment by moment my thoughts are of you,
Trust me, oh, trust me, for aye to be true.
The Jamaican-American wordsmith Festus Claudius “Claude” McKay OJ was popular during the Harlem Renaissance. His poem “To Bennie” started as a love letter response, making it a great love poem for her but ended up a beautiful ode to platonic love—a perfect gem for any friendship or romantic gesture.
12. “We Have Been Friends Together” by Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Norton
We have been friends together,
In sunshine and in shade;
Since first beneath the chestnut-trees
In infancy we played.
But coldness dwells within thy heart,
A cloud is on thy brow;
We have been friends together—
Shall a light word part us now?
We have been gay together;
We have laugh’d at little jests;
For the fount of hope was gushing
Warm and joyous in our breasts.
But laughter now hath fled thy lip,
And sullen glooms thy brow;
We have been gay together—
Shall a light word part us now?
We have been sad together,
We have wept, with bitter tears,
O’er the grass-grown graves, where slumber’d
The hopes of early years.
The voices which are silent there
Would bid thee clear thy brow;
We have been sad together—
Oh! what shall part us now?
Also known as Lady Stirling-Maxwell, Caroline Norton was a powerhouse English social reformer and author. Her three-stanza poem dives deep into the intricacies of friendship, tracing the journey from childhood camaraderie to the hilarious antics of adulthood. Her words may make for a beautiful Mother’s Day poem (because who knows you better than Mom?).
13. “To a Friend who sent me some Roses” by John Keats
As late I rambled in the happy fields,
What time the sky-lark shakes the tremulous dew
From his lush clover covert;—when anew
Adventurous knights take up their dinted shields:
I saw the sweetest flower wild nature yields,
A fresh-blown musk-rose; ’twas the first that threw
Its sweets upon the summer: graceful it grew
As is the wand that queen Titania wields.
And, as I feasted on its fragrance,
I thought the garden-rose it far excell’d:
But when, O Wells! thy roses came to me
My sense with their deliciousness was spell’d:
Soft voices had they, that with tender plea
Whisper’d of peace, and truth, and friendliness unquell’d.
This short and sweet poem about friendship by John Keats is like a breath of fresh air in a world of cheesy roses are red poems. It’s perfect for those looking to celebrate the bonds of friendship with a touch of class.
14. “Traveling” by William Wordsworth
This is the spot:—how mildly does the sun
Shine in between the fading leaves! the air
In the habitual silence of this wood
Is more than silent: and this bed of heath,
Where shall we find so sweet a resting-place?
Come!—let me see thee sink into a dream
Of quiet thoughts,—protracted till thine eye
Be calm as water when the winds are gone
And no one can tell whither.—my sweet friend!
We two have had such happy hours together
That my heart melts in me to think of it.
Did you know that William Wordsworth was one of the founding fathers of English Romanticism? If not, that’s a fun poetry fact to remember. His poem “Traveling” beautifully captures the essence of companionship and love, making it a must-read for anyone who treasures the joys of spending time with friends.
15. “One Sister have I in our house (14)” by Emily Dickinson
One Sister have I in our house –
And one a hedge away.
There’s only one recorded,
But both belong to me.
One came the way that I came –
And wore my past year’s gown –
The other as a bird her nest,
Builded our hearts among.
She did not sing as we did –
It was a different tune –
Herself to her a Music
As Bumble-bee of June.
Today is far from Childhood –
But up and down the hills
I held her hand the tighter –
Which shortened all the miles –
And still her hum
The years among,
Deceives the Butterfly;
Still in her Eye
The Violets lie
Mouldered this many May.
I spilt the dew –
But took the morn, –
I chose this single star
From out the wide night’s numbers –
Sue – forevermore!
Emily Dickinson penned this heartfelt poem as a birthday present for her dear friend and sister-in-law Sue, intertwining themes of home, sisterhood and the beauty of their bond. It’s a touching tribute to friendship that stands the test of time.
16. “Friendship After Love” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Ella Wilcox left her mark with collections like “Poems of Passion (1883)” and “Poems of Peace (1906).” She knew how to capture hearts with her rhymes (similar to the rhyming of limericks), with her work published in various magazines, including Cosmopolitan. Fun fact: she was an activist too!
17. “Going to the Picnic” by Julius C. Wright
1
There is a large crowd of young folks
Hurrying down the road;
They are going to have a picnic now,
And spread the news abroad.
2
They are wearing beautiful bouquets,
And carrying bright tin dippers;
New straw hats are waiving high,
And patent leather slippers.
3
Their hats are made of fine chiffon,
And decorated too.
There will be plenty of goodies
For your friends and for you.
A trailblazing African American poet from the late 1800s, Julius C. Wright dropped his first and only poetry collection, “Poetic Diamonds.” A native of Montgomery, Ala. Wright’s work incorporates the poetics of the Antebellum South while setting the stage for the Harlem Renaissance.
18. “Lady Lorgnette” by Emily Pauline Johnson
I
Lady Lorgnette, of the lifted lash,
The curling lip and the dainty nose,
The shell-like ear where the jewels flash,
The arching brow and the languid pose,
The rare old lace and the subtle scents,
The slender foot and the fingers frail,—
I may act till the world grows wild and tense,
But never a flush on your features pale.
The footlights glimmer between us two,—
You in the box and I on the boards,—
I am only an actor, Madame, to you,
A mimic king ‘mid his mimic lords,
For you are the belle of the smartest set,
Lady Lorgnette.
II
Little Babette, with your eyes of jet,
Your midnight hair and your piquant chin,
Your lips whose odors of violet
Drive men to madness and saints to sin,—
I see you over the footlights’ glare
Down in the pit ‘mid the common mob,—
Your throat is burning, and brown, and bare,
You lean, and listen, and pulse, and throb;
The viols are dreaming between us two,
And my gilded crown is no make-believe,
I am more than an actor, dear, to you,
For you called me your king but yesterday eve,
And your heart is my golden coronet,
Little Babette.
This poem is like a tale of two worlds, with Lady Lorgnette and Little Babette representing different social scenes. Picture Lady Lorgnette all posh and prim, while Little Babette’s got that raw passion and authenticity. It’s like a snapshot of Victorian class clashes, showing how we all crave connections.
19. “If You Knew” by Ruth Muskrat Bronson
If you could know the empty ache of loneliness,
Masked well behind the calm indifferent face
Of us who pass you by in studied hurriedness,
Intent upon our way, lest in the little space
Of one forgetful moment hungry eyes implore
You to be kind, to open up your heart a little more,
I’m sure you’d smile a little kindlier, sometimes,
To those of us you’ve never seen before.
If you could know the eagerness we’d grasp
The hand you’d give to us in friendliness;
What vast, potential friendship in that clasp
We’d press, and love you for your gentleness;
If you could know the wide, wide reach
Of love that simple friendliness could teach,
I’m sure you’d say “Hello, my friend,” sometimes,
And now and then extend a hand in friendliness to each.
Ruth Bronson was a Cherokee poet from the Delaware Nation Reservation. She blazed trails as the first Guidance and Placement Officer at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Her legacy? A beacon of Native American education and activism.
20. “Forget-Me-Nots” by Jean Starr Untermeyer
For Amy Lowell
We walked through garden closes
Languidly, with dragging Sunday feet,
And passed down a long pleached alley,
And could remember, as one remembers in a fairy tale,
Ladies in brocade, and lovers, and musk.
We surprised tall dahlias
That shrugged and turned scarlet faces to the breeze.
Further still we sauntered under old trees that bended with such a dignity
But hardly acknowledged our passing
Until at last—(and it was like a gift,
A treasure lifted from a dream of the past)
We came to a pond banded in lindens.
The bank curved under its crown of forget-me-nots;
They shone like blue jewels from the further shore.
And they were free! I could have had them all
To gather and to carry in my arms!
But I took only a few,
Seven blue gems,
To set in the gold of my memory.
With eight volumes of verse and a memoir under her belt, Jean Untermeyer knew how to tug at her reader’s heartstrings. Her poems ranged from structured to free-flowing, delving into themes of discipline and loss. And guess what? She was married to another popular poet, Louis Untermeyer, from 1906 to 1926.
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