Obligation.
You perfectly made it clear
That is an obligation to be a friend
It is an obligation to help a friend.
I built the hearth where you all came to warm,
I sheltered you through every biting gale,
I anchored you against the rising storm,
And lent my strength whenever yours grew frail.
I gave my harvest while the fields were green,
I poured my cup until the well ran dry,
Believing in a bond that felt serene,
A tether forged beneath a shared blue sky.
But now the winter settles in my bones,
The clockwork slows, the shadows stretch and creep;
I sit amidst these cold and hollow stones,
With promises you swore that you would keep.
My steps are heavy, and the world is wide,
Yet silence is the answer I receive;
You turn your faces, choosing now to hide,
With nothing left to offer or believe.
It’s crystal clear beneath this setting sun,
A lesson carved in lines upon my face:
The race of friendship, once so nobly run,
Was but a contract kept with hollow grace.
You taught me well—that love is just a debt,
A ledger balanced by the things we do;
And since I’m broken, useless, and in debt,
I’m suddenly a stranger, even to you.
-
Author:
Friendship (
Offline) - Published: May 9th, 2026 08:16
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 35
- Users favorite of this poem: Friendship, Tristan Robert Lange, Katie B., Thomas W Case, Paul Bell
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Comments9
From the uttermost parts of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me!
Thank you so much. It means a lot 💗
Friendship, I think many people who naturally give of themselves will recognize this feeling…the painful moment where relationships start to feel conditional only after your strength begins to fail. That realization can cut deeply. This really stayed with me, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
Thank you so much. It means a lot 💗
Fine read, Friendship 🕊️🙏
Thank you so much. It means a lot 💗
Most welcome, Friendship
Wow a wonderful poem on ingratitude.Nothing more saddening than ingratitude.Enjoyable well constructed poem
A poem well written with good rhyme and meter. It speaks to feeling abandoned from those that turned their backs after you had given all you had to give. It speaks of a false friendship based on using someone. A sad write indeed.
Very nice, especially the 3rd stanza.
This lands like a slow-burning reckoning—grief wrapped in disappointment, and the moment someone realizes they were giving warmth into a place that only took.
There’s a steady, bitter clarity in it, like watching a contract you thought was love finally reveal itself as paper thin.
The givers and the takers.
When that reality hits home it sure can be painful.
I suppose it's also a way to get rid of dead wood, though for some reason they tend to come back.
Oh' my word, say it like it really & truly so oft is why don'tcha .. the ache & sadness toward the end are so very tangible .. 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻👍
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