Friendship
When you don’t have a friend
a day feels like ten years,
and nothing and everything
brings you to tears.
School playtime’s a nightmare
you pray will soon pass
and you rush to your desk
when the bell rings for class.
When you don’t have a friend
all your worries seem bigger.
And when someone laughs
it can sound like a snigger.
Your feet will grow heavy,
your heart cold and small;
your skin will feel tight,
your hands curl in a ball.
When you don’t have a friend,
every season is winter;
each sky holds a cloud,
every good thing a splinter.
You’re a tree with no roots,
you’re a bell with no gong;
you’re a boat with no anchor,
a bird with no song.
Life without friends is
dry bread with no filling.
Will you be my friend?
I’ll be yours, if you’re willing.
a day feels like ten years,
and nothing and everything
brings you to tears.
School playtime’s a nightmare
you pray will soon pass
and you rush to your desk
when the bell rings for class.
When you don’t have a friend
all your worries seem bigger.
And when someone laughs
it can sound like a snigger.
Your feet will grow heavy,
your heart cold and small;
your skin will feel tight,
your hands curl in a ball.
When you don’t have a friend,
every season is winter;
each sky holds a cloud,
every good thing a splinter.
You’re a tree with no roots,
you’re a bell with no gong;
you’re a boat with no anchor,
a bird with no song.
Life without friends is
dry bread with no filling.
Will you be my friend?
I’ll be yours, if you’re willing.
This poem is copyright (©) Rhona Stephens 2026
About the Writer
Rhona Stephens
Rhona Stephens grew up in Northern Ireland and now lives in Scotland. She loves words and music, living in the country and visiting the coast, especially the north coast of Ireland. You can find her poems for children in Tyger Tyger, The Toy, Parakeet, Dirigible Balloon, PaperBound, Little Thoughts Press, Charles Causley Trust, and Children’s Poetry Summit.
