That's What Friends Are For

She was my friend, and she was always there,
She would always come around when I called her name.
If things went wrong, she would always take my hand
And with a smile, she would tell me to try again.

Everywhere I looked, she was always there for me,
She lit up my day with her innocent smile.
She shared my tears, my pain and my hapiness,
She helped me through the dark, and stood with me in the light.

And every time I thought that she had no more to give,
She would come to my rescue, giving me more.
She gave me so much that I could ever give back.
When I asked her, she said, "That's what friends are for."

But it never crossed my mind that this won't last forever,
That someday the time would come, one of us would leave.
And now I'm alone in this world so grey and cold,
I don't have my friend by my side, there's only me.

But I know deep in my heart, she is never far away,
She still comes around when I call her name.
When I'm feeling down, she still takes me to the light,
She is still there for me to help me ease my pain.

So now I bring her flowers whenever I can,
I know that she is still the one that opens the door,
All I can do is pray for her, and even though she's gone,
It's all I do each day, 'cos that's what friends are for.

(17th March, 2000)

This poem was written on the birthday of my best friend who passed on to a better life on the 27th July, 1998, when she was only 17.