poetry

Real Friends Help Out

When things go pear-shaped, life makes a strange turn, and life is suddenly nowhere near as rosy as you’d like it to be, that’s when you might discover new things about people you’ve known, but not really known, for a long time.

This was certainly true of the person in this poem, both of us knowing each other through our children, and our children’s primary school years. The friendship there, always, but not deep, until the sudden need, brought on by my accidental fall, and ensuing incarceration in my own home, unable to get outside of the house by myself.

Sharon stepped up, willingly, and ably assisted me, using her work skills in a far less formal setting, and I am very grateful to her for what she has done for me, and further, for what she has indicated she will be happy to do, whenever its needed in the future. That’s what friends are, people who step forward and say, yep, I can help with that, no worries.

In small communities there are many people like this, sharing stories, helping out, swapping garden tips and cuttings, sitting together for coffee and chat, or sight seeing the town looking at the flowers. There will always be someone who’ll say, ‘I can help you with that,’ and connections strengthen, bringing good things to everyone involved. Life is good, even with a broken ankle!

 

 

Female Friends – for Sharon

Speaking of my breasts to my friend

a natural progression of our conversation

nothing tawdry, or lewd, merely an odd thing

a symptom of something, and not a sex thing … 

Apparently being overmuch at rest, skin on skin, 

causes such things, red rash, no itch, but odd.

‘I’m putting something on it’ I say, cortisone

she nods her approval, conversation drifts 

and we both agree that we really should 

do coffee and chat more often, whether or not

my ankle is broken, and I’m in need of company,

keeping sadness at bay – depression known to us both.

Friends with knowledge of life, of nursing, of what

things really are all about, they’re the best thing

a woman can have, when times are troubled

and you need a lift, in the car and in spirit.

© 2019 Carolyn Cordon

6 thoughts on “Real Friends Help Out”

  1. Being open, especially with a close friend helps us cope. I feel we all need sincere and caring friends during our lifetime. You have an enjoyable blog and thank you for following PoetryPalette.

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