Poem: “Old Friends” by Edgar A. Guest

A Heap o’ Livin’

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American Literature – American Poetry – Edgar A. Guest – Poems by Edgar A. Guest – A Heap o’ Livin’
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Old Friends

I do not say new friends are not considerate and
     true,
  Or that their smiles ain’t genuine, but still I’m
     tellin’ you
  That when a feller’s heart is crushed and achin’
     with the pain,
  And teardrops come a-splashin’ down his cheeks
     like summer rain,
  Becoz his grief an’ loneliness are more than
     he can bear,
  Somehow it’s only old friends, then, that really
     seem to care.
  The friends who’ve stuck through thick an’
     thin, who’ve known you, good an’ bad,
  Your faults an’ virtues, an’ have seen the
     struggles you have had,
  When they come to you gentle-like an’ take
     your hand an’ say:
  “Cheer up! we’re with you still,” it counts, for
     that’s the old friends’ way.

  The new friends may be fond of you for what
     you are to-day;
  They’ve only known you rich, perhaps, an’ only
     seen you gay;
  You can’t tell what’s attracted them; your
     station may appeal;
  Perhaps they smile on you because you’re doin’
     something real;
  But old friends who have seen you fail, an’ also
     seen you win,
  Who’ve loved you either up or down, stuck
     to you, thick or thin,
  Who knew you as a budding youth, an’ watched
     you start to climb,
  Through weal an’ woe, still friends of yours
     an’ constant all the time,
  When trouble comes an’ things go wrong, I
     don’t care what you say,
  They are the friends you’ll turn to, for you
     want the old friends’ way.

  The new friends may be richer, an’ more stylish,
     too, but when
  Your heart is achin’ an’ you think your sun
     won’t shine again,
  It’s not the riches of new friends you want, it’s
     not their style,
  It’s not the airs of grandeur then, it’s just the
     old friend’s smile,
  The old hand that has helped before, stretched
     out once more to you,
  The old words ringin’ in your ears, so sweet an’,
     Oh, so true!
  The tenderness of folks who know just what
     your sorrow means,
  These are the things on which, somehow, your
     spirit always leans.
  When grief is poundin’ at your breast—the
     new friends disappear
  An’ to the old ones tried an’ true, you turn for
     aid an’ cheer.

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American Literature – American Poetry – Edgar A. Guest – Poems by Edgar A. Guest – A Heap o’ Livin’

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A Heap o’ Livin’

Old Friends

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