I Am Proud Poem by Jim Yerman

I am proud to have lived a long and varied life…
proud to have found joy in most every day…
and extremely proud at the diversity of friends I've made along the way.

I am proud to have friends I've known since childhood…others I've only met recently…
I am proud to have friends my age…or older…and friends much younger than me.

I am proud to have friends who are allergic to animals…
friends who refuse to fly on jets…
I am proud to have friends who travel the world…
and others who surround themselves with pets.

I am proud to have friends I've met through work…and others I've met by chance….
I am proud to have friends who love to sing and others who love to dance.

I am proud to have friends who eat at the finest restaurants…
and friends who are barflies…
I am proud to have friends who never touch a drink
and others whose favorite meal is a cheeseburger and fries.

I am proud to have friends who love the beach…
who often wish the temperature was hotter.
I am proud to have friends who love the cold and others who won't go near the water.

I am proud to have friends who love ice cream…and others who only eat cake…
I am proud to have friends who are afraid of animals…
and others who love spiders, and bugs and snakes.

I am proud to call these people my friend…proud that in my life they play a part…
proud they have allowed me as a friend…to see inside their hearts.

So anyone who attempts to humiliate or ridicule any of my friends…
out of sheer prejudice or political design….
Then I am equally proud to stand up and say…
you are no friend of mine.