The constant friends in joy and sadness
have long since scattered after the party
or before the tragic news. Are there any
you support? If you’re asking me I run
from all but family but seldom see them.
My only friends in joy or sorrow are flowers
and pleasant ones for sure to be alone with.
Friends text and ask me to collect my things
after hanging on to you for months for approval.
Their talk of misfortune turns you old. When tolerant
and kind, friends are those people in your life
you don’t need to make allowances for.
They’re with you in joy and sorrow like flowers.
Poem & Photograph by Lawrence Bridges
Lawrence Bridges is best known for work in the film and literary world. His poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, The Tampa Review, and Ambit. He has published three volumes of poetry, Horses on Drums, Flip Days, and Brownwood. He created a series of literary documentaries for the National Endowment for the Arts “Big Read” initiative, which includes profiles of Ray Bradbury, Amy Tan, Tobias Wolff and Cynthia Ozick. He lives in Los Angeles. You can find him on IG: @larrybridges