Poem for a friend

With friends,
hurt lingers but fades,
hate has no place,
crowded out by
mutual affection and trust.

With friends,
love stays,
and that's why we're friends.

Friends are not fads nor whims,
after the initial excitement of knowing,
and nothing left to talk about,
the silence between, not silence at all,
but the comforting knowledge of a friend beside.

And I still hope to
stand beside you,
whenever I can, or need arise.