Who Needs Friends

Who needs friends, I ask myself as I hide my feelings and reveal a smile.

Tuck inner emotions away, safe from display

Understanding that no one will and with that

I must make my peace

Though uneasily making plans

That I know won't pan out

Because no day is a good day

When you're walking through the valley

of the shadow of death

Who needs friends, I ask myself

When I can't find the words, or the courage to say

No

When I can't find the motivation or the energy

to go

When the bills come fast, but the money comes slow

And the last thing I need to do is shop, club, dine, drive, spend, chill, or explain myself to a

jury of my peers who need a valid argument as to

why I didn't have the means to dress for the occasion

When my life is falling apart behind closed doors

I ask myself, who needs friends when I'm

Forced into a corner because of circumstances out of my control

The only thing that sustains me and gives a great excuse is work

But when I look into the faces of the people I hold close

I ask myself, who needs friends?

When I got fired, and you got a raise

When I'm getting blame, and you get the praise

When I can barely eat, and my mind's in a daze

When it's raining outside and my only protection is a wet blanket

And a whimper comes out in the place of a holler

What's in store for my life, must be planned down to the dollar

And people wonder why I'm nowhere to be found

How can I explain it this time around?

I'll be there, I say and hang up the phone

There's nothing close to the feeling of being alone

And when I cancel again and again and again

And get up the energy to try to blend in

Conversation is light, yet I'm crying within

It's then that I ask myself

Who needs friends

...like me?