You fell in love with a platonic friend, and now you’re ready to express your expanding feelings. There’s only one problem: You’re not a wordsmith. The last poem you wrote was on a first-grade Valentine for Mom. Sure, she may have kept it on the fridge for over 20 years, but Keats, Yeats, or Cummings you are not. Fear not! This is where we swoop in and save the day with a curated list of 25 friends to lover poems.
25 Poems About Friendship Turning Into Love
They say love is a “many splendored thing” — and if the object of your affection is also feeling sparks, the passion and connection can be particularly intense when falling in love with a close friend. Check out these 25 poems that capture the feeling.
1. Sonnet 104: To me, fair friend, you never can be old by William Shakespeare
To me, fair friend, you never can be old,For as you were when first your eye I eyed,Such seems your beauty still. Three winters coldHave from the forests shook three summers’ pride,Three beauteous springs to yellow autumn turnedIn process of the seasons have I seen,Three April perfumes in three hot Junes burned,Since first I saw you fresh, which yet are green.Ah, yet doth beauty, like a dial-hand,Steal from his figure, and no pace perceived;So your sweet hue, which methinks still doth stand,Hath motion, and mine eye may be deceived:For fear of which, hear this, thou age unbred:Ere you were born was beauty’s summer dead.
2. Bonds of Friendship by Craig Burkholder
From the day that I first knew you,Your heart was pure and kind;Your smile was sweet and innocent,Your wit was well refined.The sparkle in your eyes was keen,Your friendship fast and real;Soft words were your virtue,And humor your appeal.We grew as friends together,We laughed and shared our dreams;Along the way crush or two,Went unrevealed, it seems.As years rolled on, our paths were split,Our roads went separate ways;We each pursued our interests,That occupied our days.We soon forgot our youthful bliss,Of tender carefree years;We didn’t talk or keep in touch,Throughout life’s pain and tears.Then my darkest hour came,And tried me to my core;To save my heart from ruin,I closed and locked the door.Then out of every nowhere,With precise directed cue;An old familiar smile,Came slowly into view.Although much time was gone,And the die of fate long cast;It was as if we hadn’t missed,A second of the past.You listened with attentive care,And reassured my mind;That loving hearts are still alive,With purpose and design.Deep inside I’ve locked way,Emotions yet untold;As time goes on, and bonds grow strong,They will all unfold.So thank you, friend, for taking time,To demonstrate your love;It’s yet another blessing that,I’m undeserving of.
3. I Should Not Dare to Leave My Friend by Emily Dickinson
I should not dare to leave my friend,Because—because if he should dieWhile I was gone—and I—too late—Should reach the Heart that wanted me—If I should disappoint the eyesThat hunted—hunted so—to see—And could not bear to shut untilThey ‘noticed’ me—they noticed me—If I should stab the patient faithSo sure I’d come—so sure I’d come—It listening—listening—went to sleep—Telling my tardy name—My Heart would wish it broke before—Since breaking then—since breaking then—Were useless as next morning’s sun—Where midnight frosts—had lain!
4. My World from wordstrum.com
When did this happen When did you turn Into something so specialInto someone I’d love The words you speak Now feels so different Lacerated with love The closer you are, the faster my heart beats And now we are inseparable Formed this connected With the bond of loveMy friend you were once Now you are more, now you are my world.
5. In Paris with You by James Fenton
Don’t talk to me of love. I’ve had an earfulAnd I get tearful when I’ve downed a drink or two.I’m one of your talking wounded.I’m a hostage. I’m maroonded.But I’m in Paris with you.Yes I’m angry at the way I’ve been bamboozledAnd resentful at the mess I’ve been through.I admit I’m on the reboundAnd I don’t care where are we bound.I’m in Paris with you.Do you mind if we do not go to the LouvreIf we say sod off to sodding Notre Dame,If we skip the Champs ElyséesAnd remain here in this sleazyOld hotel roomDoing this and thatTo what and whomLearning who you are,Learning what I am.Don’t talk to me of love. Let’s talk of Paris,The little bit of Paris in our view.There’s that crack across the ceilingAnd the hotel walls are peelingAnd I’m in Paris with you.Don’t talk to me of love. Let’s talk of Paris.I’m in Paris with the slightest thing you do.I’m in Paris with your eyes, your mouth,I’m in Paris with… all points south.Am I embarrassing you?I’m in Paris with you.
6. The Arrow and The Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I shot an arrow into the air,It fell to earth, I knew not where;For, so swiftly it flew, the sightCould not follow it in its flight.I breathed a song into the air,It fell to earth, I knew not where;For who has sight so keen and strong,That it can follow the flight of song?Long, long afterward, in an oakI found the arrow, still unbroke;And the song, from beginning to end,I found again in the heart of a friend.
7. You Are My World by Chelsea
You’re the thought that starts each morning,the conclusion to each day.I envision you in all that I doand everything I say.You’re the smile on my face,the sparkle in my eye,the warmth inside my heart,the fullness in my life.The only hand that’s laced to mine,the coat upon my back.My friend and love, you have my heart;I will never turn back.You’re the dimple in my cheek,the constant tingle in my soul,the voice that makes me weak.You’re the one who shields the cold.You’re all I’ve wanted,all that I need.You’re all I dream of,You mean so much to me.
8. Twin Stars by Claire Estevez
Can you hear my heart?Oh, but I can tell!We are twin starsWith different births.My caring shadow –It has your face.The voice of my soulKnows well your name.Tell meCan you hear my heart?Oh! How I love youMy best friend.
9. You and I by Astuti
You and I are like the tributaries of a river,We look alike, flow differentAnd yet together, complete each other.You add to my strengthAnd together we strengthen our growth.You’re my best friend in the truest formAnd together we shine in the brightest form.
10. Friendship After Love by Ella Wheeler Cox
After the fierce midsummer all ablazeHas burned itself to ashes, and expiresIn the intensity of its own fires,There come the mellow, mild, St. Martin daysCrowned with the calm of peace, but sad with haze.So after Love has led us, till he tiresOf his own throes, and torments, and desires,Comes large-eyed Friendship: with a restful gaze.He beckons us to follow, and acrossCool verdant vales we wander free from care.Is it a touch of frost lies in the air?Why are we haunted with a sense of loss?We do not wish the pain back, or the heat;And yet, and yet, these days are incomplete.
11. Will You Ever? by Kaitlyn M. Yawn
I don’t think you willEver fully understandHow you’ve touched my lifeAnd made me who I am.I don’t think you could ever knowJust how truly special you are,That even on the darkest nightsYou are my brightest star.You’ve allowed me to experienceSomething very hard to find,Unconditional love that existsIn my body, soul, and mind.I don’t think you could ever feelAll the love I have to give,And I’m sure you’ll never realizeYou’ve been my will to live.You are an amazing person,And without you I don’t know where I’d be.Having you in my lifeCompletes and fulfills every part of me. 17 Perfect Love Poems For Your Boyfriend That Will Make Him Cry Tears of Joy Sensing That Someone Is Thinking Of You? 21 Signs Your Senses Are Spot On 23 Of The Best Love Poems For Your Husband
12. I Want to Apologize by Rupi Kaur
i want to apologize to all the women i have called beautifulbefore i’ve called them intelligent or bravei am sorry i made it sound as thoughsomething as simple as what you’re born withis all you have to be proud ofwhen you have broken mountains with your witfrom now on i will say things likeyou are resilient, or you are extraordinarynot because i don’t think you’re beautifulbut because i need you to knowyou are more than that.
13. Our Friendship by Marsha M. Griffith
As I think of our friendship, I begin to seeMere words can’t describe what you mean to me.When this cold, hard world has me lonesome and blue,I look up to see my angel, my sweet angel, you.You dry the tears that fall from my eyes.You bring me sunshine to brighten my sky.You rescue me when I’m scared and aloneAnd take my hand to lead me home.No matter the miles that keep us apart,We’re always together in each other’s hearts.Sometimes we take for granted, I fear,The ones who are so close and dear.We get so caught up in life and things we must do.Sometimes we forget to stop and say I love you.If ever you felt I forgot or didn’t care,Let me stop right now; my true feelings I’ll share.You’re the sun in my sky, the bed where I lie.You’re the home where I’m safe, the field where I play.You’re everything I am, everything I do.So what I am saying is I LOVE YOU!
14. I Know We’re Only Friends by BGT
I know we’re only friendsBut as we grew closer and I got to seeAll the small things there is to love about you,I could feel myself falling for you.I love the way you smile when you see me,And I love the way you crinkle your noseWhen you laugh.I love the way your eyes sparkle,And I love the little thoughts you let Me in on, as the night turns to dawn.
15. Falling for a Friend by Fool of Forgiveness
it’s that time when your heart stopswhen you don’t want it towhen your breathing seems too quickwhen you feeling yourself turn redand you finally understand.that you’re falling for someonethat you don’t want tofalling so badlyyou wish they’d catch youbut you’re too scared to form the words
16. Lovers and Friends by John Mark Green and Christy Ann Martine
If I had it to doall over again,I would choose youas my lover and friend.Life twists and turnsbut our love remains true,as if from the startour hearts somehow knew.Just like the river is called to the sea,forever with youI am destined to be.
17. Friendship of Loves by Peter Stavropoulis
What’s a friendship my love?It’s when you promise me your companyAnd keep your promise.It’s when we joke about each otherAnd laugh at ourselves.It’s when we know we’re not perfectAnd accept each other as we are.It’s when we don’t expect too muchAnd are happy with what we are given.It’s when we value each other’s friendshipAbove all else.
18. Of All the Things by Alexandra Vasiliu
Of all the thingsI can do on this Earth,I just want to builda bridgefrom my heart to yours.
19. Some Nights by Michael Bliss
Some nights,alone, he thinks of her.and some nights,alone, she thinks of him.Some nightsthese thoughts,separated by milesand time zones,occur at the sameobjective moment,and they are connectedwithout ever knowing it.
20. You Are Not Alone by Clairel Estevez
If there ever comes a dayWhen the moon hides from your eyes;Luminous memories of us together,Will soar like a flock of fireflies.If seawater drowns your pupils,When sadness invades your heart,My hands be the handkerchiefThat so gentle, dry your eyes.When your midnight thoughts asunderStaring at wishes from afar,Know I’m never out of reaching –I will always be by your side.
21. I Love You More Than Just a Friend by Bradley Lester
I love you more than just a friendAlthough this may be wrongMy feelings that I have for youAre real and true and strongI wont deny the love I haveI cannot tell a lieI’ve loved you since we met last yearThe days that followed byI love you still I think of youEach passing of each dayI yearn to be with you againTo tell you it’s okayI love you more than just a friendAnd we may never beTogether walking hand in handJust you, your love and me
22. I Acquiesce to Frienship by Connie Marcum Wong
Your sensuous eyes render me a fool.How clumsy I become within your mien.I stutter, stumble trying to keep coolWhile all the time envisioning a sceneOf you and I together palm in palmAs sun departs behind the hillside’s face,And in the blush of twilight I feel calmEnough to kiss your lips with lover’s grace. My heart would swell if only this were so,If even in my dreams it would come true,That you might sense within my smile aglow The awesome humble love I have for you.One tiny glance of regard you impart Would be enough to satisfy my heart.
23. I Love You by Yazmine
I never really knew you,You were just another friend.But when I got to know you,I let my heart unbend.I couldn’t help past memories,that would only make me cry.I had to forget my first love,and give love another try.So I’ve fallen in love with you,and I’ll never let you go.I love you more than anyone,I just had to let you know.And if you ever wonder why,I don’t know what I’d say.But I’ll never stop loving you,each and every day.My feelings for you will never change,just know my feelings are true.Just remember one thing,I Love You!!!
24. Lucky by Jason Mraz
Do you hear me, I’m talking to youAcross the water across the deep blue oceanUnder the open sky, oh my, baby I’m tryingBoy, I hear you in my dreamsI feel your whisper across the seaI keep you with me in my heartYou make it easier when life gets hardLucky I’m in love with my best friendLucky to have been where I have beenLucky to be coming home againOoohh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh oohThey don’t know how long it takesWaiting for a love like thisEvery time we say goodbyeI wish we had one more kissI’ll wait for you, I promise you, I willLucky I’m in love with my best friendLucky to have been where I have beenLucky to be coming home againLucky we’re in love in every wayLucky to have stayed where we have stayedLucky to be coming home somedayAnd so I’m sailing through the seaTo an island where we’ll meetYou’ll hear the music fill the airI’ll put a flower in your hairThough the breezes through the treesMove so pretty you’re all I seeAs the world keeps spinning roundYou hold me right here right nowLucky I’m in love with my best friendLucky to have been where I have beenLucky to be coming home againI’m lucky we’re in love in every wayLucky to have stayed where we have stayedLucky to be coming home someday
25. Is It Wrong? By Barrie Davenport
Is it wrong to fall in love with you,A friend I hold so dear?To step across that unseen lineInto a new frontier.Is it wrong to be your soulmateAs a friend and lover true?To hold your secrets in my heartBut want to hold you too.If it is wrong, then tell me nowAnd friends we will remain.But in your eyes, I think I see,You surely feel the same.
How You Can Use These Poems about Being Friends But Wanting More
What’s the right way to woo someone with poetry? In these digital days, the possibilities are endless. But don’t underestimate the charm of old-fashioned gestures. Check out these ideas for disseminating friends’ and lovers’ poems:
Text: Currently, texting is the most common communication method worldwide. So go ahead and send a poem by phone. Email: Email may not be as convenient as texting, but it gives you more breathing space. Plus, getting sweet emails is quaint and endearing.DM: If you prefer to slide into people’s DMs, have at it. But understand it’s the least genuine, most suspicious method. A Happening: Are you a confident theater kid (on the inside) who enjoys a spectacle? Then plan a big, choreographed to-do as you recite the poem; re-enact a scene from “Roxanne” or “Cyrano”; whatever you choose, go big! (Advice: Only do this if you’re sure the other person will be receptive and doesn’t mind the attention.) Snail Mail: Get a pen, buy a paper card, and access your third-grade penmanship lessons. That’s right! Handwrite a poem, slap on a stamp, and send it via snail mail. It’s romantic.
We hope you found our list of poems about falling in love with a friend helpful. Use them as inspiration to write your own or send one you like. But don’t forget to credit the author — because there’s nothing sexy about plagiarism. May the romance force be with you!
