The Weight of Company By: Jim Gandolf

The Weight of Company

Poem

By Jim Gandolf 

©️10222025

The circle we draw, the hands that we hold,

Are meant to be shelter, a story untold

Of battles we fight and the victories won,

A safe, sunny harbor when the daylight is done.

The friends that we choose are a mirror we seek,

A strength to hold onto when our own is too meek.

They should be the air that expands in your chest,

Not anchors of worry that steal all your rest.

For a friend is a lift, a hand in the climb,

A light in the darkness, a blessing of time.

They should fan your small spark till it burns bright and free,

And not drain the lantern that shines only for thee.

If the talk is all taking, the silence all strain,

If you walk from their presence feeling nothing but pain—

Then the "company" held is a weight, not a wing,

A discordant, dull note where your spirit should sing.

So, loosen the grip on the ties that bind tight,

If they steal all your energy, smother your light.

Your worth isn't measured by burdens you bear;

The company you keep should be joy, not despair.

Jim Gandolf