The Gift Of Knowing You

There are gifts of many treasures
For both the young and old,
From the tiniest little trinkets
To great boxes filled with gold.

But, put them all together
And they could not stand in lieu,
Of the greatest gift of all
The gift of knowing you.

When your times are filled with troubles
Sadness, grief, or even doubt,
When all those things you planned on
Just aren't turning out.

Just turn and look behind you
From the place at which you stand,
And look for me through the shadows
And reach out for my hand.

I will lift from you your burden
And cry for you your tears,
Bear the pain of all your sorrows
Though it may be for a thousand years.

For in the end I would be happy
To have helped you start anew,
It's a small price to pay
For the gift of knowing you.

- Dave Stout -

In this poem, Dave Stout uses figurative language to compare a gift, to a friend. Dave explains how friendship is a system that uses support for each other. He expresses this by saying, "I will lift you from your burden," (scout 17). Because of this, we are lead to believe that friends help each other out by lifting their load and help them recover. This leads to when Dave explains that when things aren't turning out the way they were planned, friends will always be there. He shows this when he says, "And look for me through the shadows and reach out for my hand," (stout 15/16). This explains that no matter where you are, your friend will always be there for your support. Because of this comparison, we are able to see that Dave is tying to make society realize that when you need help, or someone to make you feel better, you have the gift of friendship to take your sorrows away.

This poem shares information that is irresistible to overlook. It is compelling due to the explanation of what friendship is, and what it means. Dave Stout looks at friendship as a gift. The gift of having someone as a friend gives you the opportunity to be there for them. He explains that when situations are not turning out the way they were planned and you are feeling grief and sadness, your friend is always there to comfort you. They can lift from your load, cry for you, hold up and support your pain and sorrows. Also, Stout explains that being a friend will make you happy because you helped someone start over new. He believes it is not a difficult task to help a friend, and it makes you feel better.