i have a
friend
she is
a goddess
that once
masqueraded
as a barista.

she plucks
the emotion
from the breeze
to lay
lines of pain
across
the sands that slowly give
themselves
to the sea.

another friend
is an artist
a mother
a butcher of
moose
a maker of
jellies.

she takes
photos
physical
metaphorical
sometimes
both
to bludgeon
the agony
of this frozen
world.

i don’t have
much
but
i have
my friends
and that is
worth more
than gold.

i have a
friend
who hides
just like me
clear across the
country
whose heart
shines
like a sun.

he reads great
books
gives love
to the authors
shares pictures
of the nastiest
things.

one friend
lives
in the desert
where he writes
tales
that twist
your
soul.

he pushes others
to find their
voice
then gives them
a place to
scream
in a world
that barely
ever
listens.

and
i am
richer
for having known
them
even if
i am not
deserving.

i am thankful
every day.

for the
poet
that clings
to the bottom of
the world
where
her great heart
sends
soothing waves.

she
effortlessly cuts
through
the dark
with her
singular
flame.

not far from
her
is another dear
friend
who fights through
her own
inner darkness.

when she
spills
her soul
onto the world
the words
worm
their way
into your own
with
tragic beauty.

these are a
few
of my
friends
each worth more
than gold.