Inside: 5 old friends poem to remember the ones that have been there through it all. These are some of the closest to our hearts.
Something beautiful about writing and poetry is that you get to relive and honor memories that you’ve held in your mind for months, years, decades even. Reminiscing can be healing, helpful, and fun, but it could also be painful and full of distant memories that bring a mix of emotions to mind and heart. Writing can help.
Friends truly do come and go, whether you want them to or not, but there will always and forever be a place in our hearts for some of our oldest friends, truly. I have some skeletons in my closet of old friendships that died hard but the good memories and moments will last a lifetime in my heart.
Poetry regarding old friends can be sweet, even with an undertone of nostalgia, positively or negatively.
Enjoy these poems to remind you how much you love your old friends, even while making new ones.
Who Wrote The Poem Old Friends?
The most iconic poem regarding old friends and new friends is the poem by Joseph Parry literally titled: “New Friends And Old Friends” highlighting the importance and beauty of old friendships that have been with you through time. These are to be valued and protected, and he writes to compare the new versus old. Though there is beauty and need in both, there’s a power behind old friendships.
Though Joseph Parry moved around parts of the EU throughout his life and worked mainly with his hands, he was a beautiful writer and eventually moved onto studying and teaching music. Writing music and poetry often go hand in hand, and he did so beautifully.
His writing is often a reflection of the beautiful things he sees and finds in life, and this is a beautiful way to express yourself through poetry.
As you search for an old friends poem, you’ll find this one repeatedly. It’s iconic and lovely, and really makes you think long and hard about the ones that have been around for it all.
What Does The Poet Who Says To Make Friends Mean?
In this same poem, “New Friends and Old Friends,” he says several times to make new friends, and this is always followed by a “but.” So this can sometimes leave readers wondering what he’s trying to get at.
He means that while it’s good to still continue to make new friends, nurturing and valuing your old friendships over all else is the best. They’re the ones that have aged with wine and seen you through your whole life and every trial and struggle, but also the good moments too.
When he says to make new friends, he really is meaning that all friendships are great and wonderful and should be celebrated, even though he holds old friendships closer to his heart.
We all can learn from him to value our friendships more than anything else! What an honor it is to have wonderful friendships, and if you’re lucky enough to have old friendships, remind yourself to be grateful for their presence and consistency, and remember to show it in return.
Without further ado, here is the poem we’ve been discussing so in depth.
1. New Friends and Old Friends
Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.
New-made friendships, like new wine,
Age will mellow and refine.
Friendships that have stood the test—
Time and change—are surely best;
Brow may wrinkle, hair grow gray,
Friendship never knows decay.
For ‘mid old friends, tried and true,
Once more we our youth renew.
But old friends, alas! may die,
New friends must their place supply.
Cherish friendship in your breast—
New is good, but old is best;
Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.
Poems About Old Friends
Old friend poems are easy to come by, as so many poets have found comfort in writing about their loved ones like this. If you need a poem to present to one of your oldest and dearest friends, either just for fun or for a special occasion, you can find just what you’re looking for here.
These are my top picks, and I think that you’re going to love them. For me, they allow memories and moments to come flooding to my mind. Enjoy!
2. How Many, How Much?
How many slams in an old screen door?
Depends how loud you shut it.
How many slices in a bread?
Depends how thin you cut it.
How much good inside a day?
Depends how good you live ’em.
How much love inside a friend?
Depends how much you give ’em.
3. Us Two
Wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,
There’s always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
“Where are you going today?” says Pooh:
“Well, that’s very odd ‘cos I was too.
Let’s go together,” says Pooh, says he.
“Let’s go together,” says Pooh.
“What’s twice eleven?” I said to Pooh.
(“Twice what?” said Pooh to Me.)
“I think it ought to be twenty-two.”
“Just what I think myself,” said Pooh.
“It wasn’t an easy sum to do,
But that’s what it is,” said Pooh, said he.
“That’s what it is,” said Pooh.
“Let’s look for dragons,” I said to Pooh.
“Yes, let’s,” said Pooh to Me.
We crossed the river and found a few-
“Yes, those are dragons all right,” said Pooh.
“As soon as I saw their beaks I knew.
That’s what they are,” said Pooh, said he.
“That’s what they are,” said Pooh.
“Let’s frighten the dragons,” I said to Pooh.
“That’s right,” said Pooh to Me.
“I’m not afraid,” I said to Pooh,
And I held his paw and I shouted “Shoo!
Silly old dragons!”- and off they flew.
“I wasn’t afraid,” said Pooh, said he,
“I’m never afraid with you.”
So wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,
There’s always Pooh and Me.
“What would I do?” I said to Pooh,
“If it wasn’t for you,” and Pooh said: “True,
It isn’t much fun for One, but Two,
Can stick together, says Pooh, says he. “That’s how it is,” says Pooh.
4. Old Friends
Old friends are a steady spring rain,
or late summer sunshine edging into fall,
or frosted leaves along a snowy path—
a voice for all seasons saying, I know you.
The older I grow, the more I fear I’ll lose my old friends,
as if too many years have scrolled by
since the day we sprang forth, seeking each other.
Old friend, I knew you before we met.
I saw you at the window of my soul—
I heard you in the steady millstone of my heart
grinding grain for our daily bread.
You are sedimentary, rock-solid cousin earth,
where I stand firmly, astonished by your grace and truth.
And gratitude comes to me and says:
“Tell me anything and I will listen.
Ask me anything, and I will answer you.”
5. 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 today;
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.
The combination of old friends and new friends in your life is so sweet– to meet new people that have lived a life you yet to know about is so exciting and life-giving, while also still walking with the friends that have personally seen you through some of your best and worst days. Having both connections is so real and so fun, and honoring those long time friends is so important.
There are some connections that can never be broken, though this kind is quite rare, that gives you all the more reason to value and adore them even more so when you have the chance.
These poems can definitely be used for this purpose. Give them as gifts, text them as reminders, email them on birthdays… Poetry, though you didn’t write it, can still be used to express your thoughts and feelings toward someone. So if any of these resonated with you for a certain old friendship, don’t forget to pass it on.
