I have a jewel,
Many-faceted, precious and rare,
Fashioned neither into a pendant
Nor a ring that I can wear.

For I wear it like an aura--
It is a part of me --
It's the golden gift of friendship,
A gem of camaraderie and bonhomie.

Tender thoughts of friendship
Stir memoris of fun and pleasure,
But friendship is more--so very much more--
And a memory that I treasure.

Is of you just standing by,
"Whether I am need or not."
Spoken with deep and warm compassion
When trouble was my lot.

My life has been enriched
Because I count you as a friend
For the shoulder that I cry on and
The sympathy that you lend.

For the songs we sing together,
The laugher and the tears,
For the symphony of roses
And gracious memoris through the years.

True friendship, the same as true love,
Touches a chord we knew was there,
But how rarely is its music heard,
How seldom its song we share.