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 1554 comments.


on Jan. 9 at 7:02 am
Amari_Keretsa, Wichita, Kansas
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
You never have to change for a friend. Always remember that someone out there will love you for being you. This poem was truly wonderful! Keep reading and writing!

on Nov. 19 2025 at 9:47 pm
crochetgirl25, Bell Air, Maryland
0 articles 0 photos 13 comments

Favorite Quote:
Why fit in when you are born to stand out

FullyKnownFullyChosen yesss

on Aug. 24 2025 at 12:47 am
AGirlWhoWrites, Miami, Florida
0 articles 0 photos 5 comments
I really do love this. Please never stop writing such wonder.

on Aug. 8 2025 at 9:03 pm
BubblyMetalhead, Carbondale, Colorado
0 articles 0 photos 38 comments

Favorite Quote:
"...security cannot be the scapegoat to distract attention from the inequalities and injustices in our homeland." - Serj Tankian

This is so descriptive and combines subliminal humor with simple yet powerful words! I really like this and I hope you/your character found a good friend (but kept the love of reading, of course!).

on Apr. 3 2025 at 1:25 pm
FullyKnownFullyChosen, Richmond, Virginia
0 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
"God can't give us peace and happiness apart from Himself because there is no such thing."--C.S. Lewis

great job! we all need a friend, thankfully Jesus is a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24)

kingtroll1 said...
on Mar. 26 2025 at 12:16 pm
kingtroll1, Tucosn, Arizona
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
Only $50 a week that's outrageous I get$1000

Sincerely-Me said...
on Mar. 24 2025 at 6:17 pm
Sincerely-Me, Willamsburg, Virginia
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
Make sure your front door is open... so I can shut it. (that was awful) Honestly though, this is amazing.

Adwita BRONZE said...
on Feb. 28 2024 at 10:13 pm
Adwita BRONZE, Delhi, Other
4 articles 0 photos 1 comment
The poem is fabulous !it is almost like the poet read my diary...as a teen with straight As and the unrelenting desire to fit in ..I can relate to this a lot ...well written!

on Oct. 17 2023 at 7:56 pm
Cutiepie10009, Newton, Massachusetts
0 articles 0 photos 12 comments
This Poem is so sad It remindes me when I was little and I was looking for a friend .

on Oct. 17 2023 at 7:54 pm
Cutiepie10009, Newton, Massachusetts
0 articles 0 photos 12 comments
Nice Job Ireally like this

on Oct. 12 2023 at 12:41 pm
Mahathi_R BRONZE, Chennai, Other
1 article 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The entropy of the Universe always increases"<br /> <br /> "Medicine is my lawful wife and literature, my mistress. When I get fed up with one, I spend the night with the other- Anton Chekhov"

Well written, so crisp and sweet. This poem is unlike other mundane poem, makes you feel the essence deep down

on Aug. 25 2023 at 5:48 pm
NobodyGreek BRONZE, Navasota, Texas
2 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
We have all got both light and darkness inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That is who we really are.<br /> <br /> <br /> -Percy Jackson

I can relate I also desire someone to connect with

on Feb. 7 2023 at 8:29 am
MadameofWar SILVER, Warsaw, Indiana
6 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
Were I to fall in love, indeed, it would be a different thing! but I have never been in love; it is not my way, or my nature; and I do not think I ever shall.<br /> —Jane Austen, Emma

This is the poetry I and hate too read. I love it because people can relate to it and it makes you feel seen. I hate it because it reminds me of how much I relate to this and kinda makes me want to cry.

sarsmithh GOLD said...
on Nov. 8 2022 at 9:27 pm
sarsmithh GOLD, South Glens Falls, New York
12 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
everything happens for a reason

so good wow

on Oct. 25 2022 at 8:37 pm
Ambiguous101 GOLD, Baxter, Minnesota
14 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body

I can really relate to this poem. I have no friends other than the characters in my books. I get straight A's and people only talk to me for help with their homework, quizs, or tests. I really like how it speaks to me, as if it understands and knows what I've been going through. Along with other people. Great work!!!!!

on Sep. 21 2022 at 11:36 am
ZIONJESUBAMIKOLE GOLD, Lagos, Other
14 articles 0 photos 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
IF YOU CANT LOVE ANYONE AT LEAST LOVE YOURSELF, YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE DONT LET ANYONE CHANGE THAT, YOU ARE LIKE THE STAR THAT SHINES AT ITS APPOINTED TIME

I understand how it feels to have no friend but yourself. it would take time to find a good one but when you do you would be happy and glad you waited. Trust me I've been there before

goneg1rl said...
on Aug. 18 2022 at 2:17 am
goneg1rl, Danville, Virginia
0 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
All extremes of feeling are allied with madness - Virginia Woolf

amazing.

on Feb. 18 2022 at 8:18 pm
kali73304 SILVER, Long Lane, Missouri
6 articles 2 photos 35 comments
I really like this poem. I can relate, my room is also filled with books. I never really have fit in anywhere.

0102327 BRONZE said...
on Jan. 25 2022 at 10:51 am
0102327 BRONZE, Richmond, Quebec
1 article 0 photos 1 comment
Amazing poem!!!

AP2207 said...
on Dec. 13 2021 at 2:52 pm
AP2207, Moorsville, North Carolina
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
I agree with the message that the poem gave because it is relatable and shows the struggles that one can face.