A Poetic Lament

There is no handbook,
No owner's or guidebook,
No map or diagram exists,
That points the way,
To friendship and happiness.

You make up the rules as you go,
Hoping that it goes with the flow,
Learning what's shallow or deep,
But over the long haul,
Real friendship is real hard to keep.

Seems either they move away,
Or are gone from your life one day,
Leaving you wondering and hurt,
But maybe someday,
Their memory won't haunt your work.