दोस्ती आम है लेकिन ऐ दोस्त

दोस्त मिलता है बड़ी मुश्किल से

              -हफ़ीज़ होशियारपुरी

Friendship is very common but dear friend

Finding a friend is not easy at all.

                -Hafiz Hoshiarpuri

Hello dVersians!

Today is a very significant day for me. Not only is today my best friend’s birthday, but it also marks the seventh anniversary of my blog! I started this blog, on her insistence, as a birthday gift to her because she believed I have a bright future as a poet! 😉 Debatable as that belief maybe, I could not turn her down.

We are primary school friends and have been friends for almost four decades. We are very unlike each other in temperament, physical appearance and in our outlook but even after all these years and geographical separation, we are still attuned to each other like we were in school. The bond we share transcends all differences. We are each others mirror and shadow.

“To me, fair friend, you never can be old,

For as you were when first your eye I eyed,”

These lines from Shakespeare’s sonnet 104 seem so apt for her.

It is often said that friends are the family one chooses. They are the ones closest to one’s heart. It is rightly said, “Sometimes, being with your best friend, is all the therapy you need.” This enduring affection between two people is oft unconditional and organic. Most importantly, friends always have time for each other. I have been very lucky to be blessed with friends at every stage of my life. From school to college, from work place to a sailor’s wife, from neighbourhood to blogosphere, I have made friends at various phases of life and not just made friends but have been lucky to have them for keeps. And the key to these long-lasting ties has been finding time for friends!

As Robert Frost in “A Time to Talk” says…

I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,

Blade-end up and five feet tall,

And plod: I go up to the stone wall

For a friendly visit.

Various studies have shown that loneliness can be detrimental to health. A study looked into the health effects of social isolation and loneliness involving nearly four million people. They discovered that lonely people had a 50 per cent increased risk of early death, compared to those with good social connections.

Physical proximity is not always a criteria for an enduring friendship. Back when I was in school, before the advent of email, we were encouraged to have penpals overseas. I stayed in touch with one of my penfriends who resided in Australia for almost a decade and a half and we exchanged photographs and momentous occasions in our lives with each other through letters.

I joined WordPress to share my words with anyone interested, but as a bonus found people I can call friends, not just casually but in a true sense. Blogging has truly helped forge some beautiful bonds. We may not know a lot about each other but I have come to regard some bloggers as good friends. They have reached out to me when I have been away for too long and have sent messages of love and solidarity during my lows. I have often felt embraced in virtual arms and that warmth is real.

The Challenge

So for today’s poetics challenge, which is very simple, I would like you to pick an opening line from a blogger friend’s poem (with due permission/acknowledgement) and use it in your poem on friendship. Please use the line as it is anywhere in your verse. The form/style/length is up to you.

I share this lovely poem as I love the silliness of Shel Silverstein.

TUG O’ WAR BY SHEL SILVERSTEIN

“I will not play at tug o’ war.

I’d rather play at hug o’ war,

Where everyone hugs

Instead of tugs,

Where everyone giggles

And rolls on the rug,

Where everyone kisses,

And everyone grins,

And everyone cuddles,

And everyone wins”

The Rules

For all those who are new to dVerse, follow these simple rules to participate:

Post a poem in response to the prompt on your blog.

Mention or tag dVerse in your post, and link back to this post.

Paste the link to your post (and not your blog) in the Mr Linky widget below.

Read and comment on the other poems linked up; we are here to share and read.