“Oh, come on now…don’t be silly,
“My friends…they’re just like me;
“We do everything together,
“Man!…we just want to be free!”

“We wear the same kind of clothes,
“ ‘Designer’…of course;
“We go to the same places,
“Hey, Man!…we’re having fun…no remorse!”

But, when the going gets rough,
As it sometimes will;
Are all the friends ‘there’ for you,
Or do they turn away and you feel the chill?

I had so many friends,
And, very popular…was I;
Until I really needed them,
They walked away…with not even a “Good-bye”.

But, one friend stayed,
He stood right beside me;
Because of him…I got through,
He stood firm…and didn’t flee!

Yes, he became MY BEST FRIEND,
Because that’s what best friends…do;
When the going got rough,
They’re right there…they stand by you!

So, what’s the price you’re paying,
To have lots of people `round you?
Are you selling yourself short?
Are you being yourself…or doing what they all do?

It takes courage to be yourself,
To stand-up and be different;
Peer-pressure is hard on teens,
And, it’s so much easier to be silent.

But, I’m telling you,
The price is too much to pay;
Just to be one of the gang,
You must give ‘yourself’…away.

“To thine own self be true”,
A quote from Shakespeare;
Timely…down through all the ages,
Being yourself will spare you many tears.

Get yourself a real friend,
One, who will let you be…you;
I did…you see,
And, he married me!

(Dedicated to my husband of almost 50 years.)

********

July 5, 2004

Aimee Love
(LHG)