All I Need Is a Friend | Teen Ink

All I Need Is a Friend MAG

January 28, 2009
By Ryan Moran BRONZE, Mt. Prospect, Illinois
Ryan Moran BRONZE, Mt. Prospect, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Books fill up my room.
Not baseball cards,
or pictures of girls,
or basketballs.
Maybe a blown up picture of …
… Pam Anderson might help.

Black-framed glasses
and a white,
pale,
lanky
body.
I should start working out.

At least I can read.
I read four books a day last summer.
The librarian,
80-year-old Mrs. Woodsworth,
she knows my middle name.
If only I had a real friend.
I am sick of seeing her old,
bony,
pale body.
Although it resembles mine.

The kids at school laugh.
Is it the way I dress?
Lacoste,
Ralph Lauren,
La Tigre.
I’ve tried every designer out there.
Staying in the house really saves me money.
My stupid rich parents give me $50 a week for lunch.
$50 times 36 weeks …
what is that?
$1,000,
$2,000,
$10,000?
I should probably know.
Straight A’s 12 years in a row
and counting.

With all of this,
or none of this –
it depends how you look at it –
all I need is a friend.



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This article has 1547 comments.


on Jan. 7 2015 at 12:58 am
Mydoublebass BRONZE, Metamora, Illinois
2 articles 0 photos 3 comments
It's unbelievable how well I can relate to this poem; I am in the same boat as the narrator.

Liyanams026 said...
on Jan. 6 2015 at 11:21 pm
Liyanams026, Euless, Texas
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
Very well written. Trying to fit in is a struggle, and all you need is a friend. I like it.

on Nov. 22 2014 at 5:27 am
Enigmapleet BRONZE, Calicut,kerala, Other
3 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
Believe in yourself.........

Beautiful piece of worrk

on Nov. 17 2014 at 11:09 am
Freshatilly BRONZE, Las Vegas, Nevada
4 articles 0 photos 4 comments
Nice, Well Written piece if work.

Shortz said...
on Oct. 29 2014 at 1:04 pm
Shortz, Indianapolis, Indiana
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
"Don't tell me sky's the limit when, there's footprints on the moon" - Paul George

Really good poem.

on Oct. 18 2014 at 7:12 pm
This really seaks to me

on Sep. 23 2014 at 8:07 pm
AlliNeedisMusic SILVER, Easley, South Carolina
5 articles 0 photos 36 comments

Favorite Quote:
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

your poem really speaks to me. i read all the time. in fact i am at the library right now. if u need someone to talk to, i am here!

on Sep. 23 2014 at 9:30 am
EmilytheBelleofA. DIAMOND, Athens, Georgia
81 articles 5 photos 1486 comments

Favorite Quote:
To love is to be vulnerable; Triumph is born out of struggle; We notice shadows most when they stand alone in the midst of overwhelming light.

I love books and I still do. Haha, I think I need more books, but about you poem. I think it's amazing. Your poem has a lot of emotion and depth and amazingness. I can rather connect. I think everyone needs a friend. Congrats on having this published! You deserve it. Thank you for sharing this. 

on Sep. 16 2014 at 7:56 pm
beAWESOMEstayAWESOME BRONZE, New York City, New York
3 articles 0 photos 133 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Work hard in silence and let your accomplishments make the noise."

don't comment at all if your going to say"no one wants to be your freind" or something like that. if you don't have anything good to say don't say anything at all.

on Sep. 15 2014 at 12:00 pm
I have issue's making friends, but at least, like you, I have a room full of books. My mother gets quite upset seeing me carry in so many books everyday. I don't care though. Books are a passion of mine and a treasure. I love reading and am proud to say that I am a book-worm.

on Sep. 14 2014 at 2:44 pm
beAWESOMEstayAWESOME BRONZE, New York City, New York
3 articles 0 photos 133 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Work hard in silence and let your accomplishments make the noise."

i love books too, and people in my class calls me smart. you see, you dont have to try so hard to be like everyone else just. be. yourself. its hard to find a good friend but sometimes you just have to be pateint. 

on Jun. 15 2014 at 10:56 pm
TheWritingArtist PLATINUM, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
22 articles 1 photo 11 comments
That is so true to life.

on Jun. 3 2014 at 9:44 pm
AbigailGilgal GOLD, Cloquet, Minnesota
12 articles 0 photos 40 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I write for the same reason I breath- because if I didn't, I would die"
~Isaac Asimov

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed."
~ Ernest Hemingway

That was so good! You know, so many guys think they are "too cool" for things like poetry, but you are the one who is too cool for them. Keep writing! You have skill. And remember, you do not have to conform to the patterns of this world. Never let other people's opinions squash your creativity or keep you from the things you love! I would way rather have a smart guy who doesn't work out than some full-of-himself guy who does!

moon8 BRONZE said...
on May. 26 2014 at 5:04 pm
moon8 BRONZE, Peaks Island, Maine
2 articles 0 photos 8 comments
Why do you hate school and why are you wasting your time leaving cruel comments on such a wonderful piece of writing???

moon8 BRONZE said...
on May. 26 2014 at 5:02 pm
moon8 BRONZE, Peaks Island, Maine
2 articles 0 photos 8 comments
After reading this poem I would feel gifted to have a friend like you. Also, I would like you to know that clothes are not how someone gets friends, even though it might seem that way (I might not be th most knowledgeable person on this subject though). Actually, I have no idea if you are actually in need of a friend or you have made this up, either way the writing is beautiful.

on May. 14 2014 at 9:06 am
Love2Read72 PLATINUM, Kentfield, California
24 articles 0 photos 105 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” — Taylor Swift

Relatability is an important aspect of any poem. Poems can be amazing even if they aren't relatable, but when they are, the reader can experience the poem like it happened to them. When people comment and say the poem is relatable, that doesn't mean they're shallow.

on May. 13 2014 at 6:38 pm
Starcatcher001 SILVER, Cypress, Texas
7 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
I had a rock garden. Last week, three of them died. -Richard Diran

It is awesome that you can describe yourself in such a brutally honest way while still allowing your poem to have a lighthearted feel to it. I really enjoyed this piece and I hope that you will continue writing poetry! Just remember that in as big of a world that we live in, there is definitely going to be at least one person who would love to be your friend.

on Apr. 29 2014 at 4:49 pm
TheWatchGuard BRONZE, Centralia, Washington
4 articles 0 photos 3 comments
That's really harsh

on Apr. 21 2014 at 12:29 pm
DanielaC. BRONZE, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
1 article 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
Love is not love without madness.

I really enjoyed this poem. It was quite admarible how he can say the truth about himself. He doesn't feel bad about himself he is just lonely

Nobuo GOLD said...
on Apr. 13 2014 at 12:19 pm
Nobuo GOLD, Dio, Missouri
16 articles 1 photo 65 comments

Favorite Quote:
Hello

I'll be your friend, send an email sometime or get on TI chat