A Friend And A Brother Poem by Biyaya YOHANNA

They say colleagues at work are not your friends.

But in you,
I found a friend
and a brother.

The kind of friendship
that goes beyond official conversations.

Through the sad moments
and the good times,
you've been there.

Through the highs
and the lows,
you've been there.

The kind of friendship
that saw a version of me
I hadn't met yet,
and patiently introduced us.

You placed books in my hands
that taught me how to think
long before they taught me how to succeed.

You sharpened my mind,
the way a craftsman
carefully sharpens his tools.

The kind of friendship
that hears the smile disappear
from my voice
before I even say,
'I'm not okay.'

The kind of friendship
I can call at 2: 00 a.m. and say,

'Hey...
I'm not well, '
and without hesitation,
you would wipe the sleep from your eyes
just to hear me.

You've left fingerprints
on the person I am becoming.

Long after this season of life has passed,
I'll still carry
what your friendship taught me.

Work was simply
where we met.

Brotherhood
was what we found.