Featured Poem: Friendship by Dinah Maria Craik

What are the qualities that go in to friendship? What do we need in those closest to us? This week Featured Poem seems to speak to a need that feels familiar… It’s called ‘Friendship’ by Dinah Maria Craik.

'I found it whilst exploring our new bookshelf theme ‘Light and Darkness’. It is in an anthology called ‘Through Corridors of Light, Poems of Consolation in Time of Illness’ edited by John Andrew Denny.'

Friendship

Oh the comfort —

the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person-

having neither to weigh thoughts, nor measure words,

but pouring them all right out,

just as they are,

chaff and grain together;

certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them,

keep what is worth keeping,

ad with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.

Dinah Maria Craik (1826-87)