Friends

Ivy Stone

Aug 12, 2026

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As a child,
Everyone I knew
Was simply called
A friend.

As long as you liked the person,
Knew their name,
Or spent time with them,
They were a friend.

Then adulthood arrived,
Bringing with it
A new word—
Acquaintance.

A stage we pass through
Before friendship is earned.

Once, I called someone
A friend,
Only to discover
We were merely acquaintances.

Now, I find myself
Being called a friend
By people
I thought barely knew me.

How beautiful that feeling is.

But then again,
Isn’t it better

To be called a friend
When you never thought
You deserved the title,

Than to be rejected
When you believed
You already were one?

Perhaps friendship
Isn’t measured
By how many people
Call you "friend,"

But by the few
Who truly mean it.