Friends

Time flies, physical energy soars,

passion rises, laughter reverberates,

and joy is unleashed

when we are with friends;

not because we've found

someone who agrees with everything

and shares all our convictions;

but because we've found

someone who loves us enough

to let us be honest and unpretentious;

who learns our intimate details  

and the history that shapes us,

not through examination or inquisition

but voluntarily unfolded narrative,

piecemeal, over time, like a mini-series

to which we eagerly and regularly return;

who recognizes that differences

and disagreements are dwarfed

in the mutual field of integrity

that unfolds with each adventure.

Give me one such friend

and I can endure a thousand dramas

through which I feel pressed

to be less or more than my true self.

 

 Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, WA

© 2014 Todd Jenkins