.

One Friend

A friend who always wants to learn
__Whatever’s going on,
Whose warm assistance and concern
__Can be relied upon,

A friend who shows his gratitude
__For what you bring to him,
Who deals with any type of mood
__And raises hopes when dim,

A friend who won’t compete with you,
__For jealously there’s none—
You’re hoping for a bunch, it’s true,
__But blessed if you have one.

.

.

Priority

Your first emotions are to pay him back for wrongs he’s done,
But vengeance is a negative, and that will help no one.
So even if there’s no excuse, and you are rightly mad,
Should you not want your life made good more than you need his bad?

.

.

Talent

I’m proud of the talent I’ve shown I possess,
__Which no one could ever foresee.
But grounded by knowing what I must confess—
__There’s others much better than me.

.

.

Biden’s Student Debt Cancellation

Poor Joe Biden, he could swing
A greater absolution,
Were it not for that pesky thing
Known as the Constitution.

.

.

Russel Winick recently started writing poetry after ending a long legal career. He resides in Naperville, Illinois.

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21 Responses

  1. Jeremiah Johnson

    Russel, I’ve just gotta say in response to the picture Evan paired with your poem – Sancho Panza in no way represents the definition of friendship you lay out in your poem – except that he has no interest in competing with DQ because he doesn’t want to get beat up while engaging in acts of derring-do!

    Sorry, I’ll get off my literary soap box now.

    Reply
    • The Society

      Thank you, Jeremiah. I’ve had someone else complain about this painting before when I connected it to friendship. (Two guys on a crazy adventure in the name of chivalry beams friendship to me, but I must be in the minority.) I’m curious what two friends from literature or culture you might propose being featured? Hamlet and Horatio are all that come to mind for me at the moment.

      Reply
      • Roy Eugene Peterson

        I have three that come to mind: 1.) Sherlock Holmes and Watson, 2.) Frodo and Sam from “Lord of the Rings,” and 3.) Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

      • Jeremiah Johnson

        Frodo and Sam is a really great choice! My personal favorites would be Mole and Ratty 🙂

  2. Phil S. Rogers

    Russel; I have to say that the poem, One Friend, really hit me. I guess
    because so many of my friends have now passed, it has a lot of meaning and brought back many thoughts and memories. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Phil – this is, to me, the most gratifying type of comment. Thank you for it. I’m so glad you liked that poem.

      Reply
  4. Roy Eugene Peterson

    We all need that one good friend and often are disappointed by those we thought were on our side. “Priority” is a perfect take. I have written somewhere that when vengeance is a motive both men’s houses are burned to the ground.
    “Talent” is self-deprecation at its finest. Thank goodness for the Constitution and separation of powers!

    Reply
  6. Margaret Coats

    Fine work, here, Russel, all four of them, appearing in order of importance. That one friend is a treasure beyond value, and I am blessed with a bunch who can sometimes step into the role of the one. The characterization you give also reminds me to take my part in friendship, especially by always wanting to know about the other, rather than always wanting to tell about me. I think line 10 should say “jealousy” instead of “jealously.”

    “Priority” offers a great way to think when offended, in particular because we often think of paying back small offenses when the offenses are really opportunities to earn credit by some small kindnesses instead.

    In “Talent” I love how grammar makes a point. “Better than I” is formally correct, but when you end with the colloquial “better than me,” you prove yourself less talented in the friendliest way.

    As for student debt cancellation, why don’t we add to national debt by making reparations to all those students who have paid off their loans?

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thank you Margaret. I always learn quite a bit both from your poetry and your comments. Greatly appreciated!

      Reply
  8. C.B. Anderson

    You, Russel, are as sharp as a tack and never fail to nail down the flooring, the bottom line where our lives are lived.

    Reply
  9. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Russel, I love these! Your wisdom shines brightly in these admirably crafted poems, and I am basking in the brilliance of it. I especially like the first two. They speak of gratitude and attitude. I have the first. I’m working on the second… so thank you for that extra help I need! As for ‘Talent’, I relate wholeheartedly to this one, and know that I’m only ever as good as my last poem. Russel, thank you!

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Susan, if you like my poems, then I’ve done something right. Thanks for the kind words!

      Reply

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