The pyramid of friendship

With some I share my feelings of love and deepest fears,

I cherish those moments of joy and despair,

I hold dear those hours of slogging for work.

With some others, I share that lovely tear,

I cherish those moments of encouragement and appreciation,

I hold dear those hours of mindless blabber.

And then there are yet some more, I treasure just a lovely smile,

I cherish those moments of respect and sympathy,

I hold dear that instant of help and support.

Looks like it's a huge pyramid of friends and well-wishers,
But there's something common about all of them,
Close friends, good friends, work friends, play friends, all of them,
Together they taught me the toughest lessons of life,
Together they inspired me to look beyond ambition,
Together they rejuvenated my faith in love, care and respect,
Together they touched my soul giving it a life of its own.

Do I count?

With a tearful smile, I looked upon my mirror,

My mirror frowned at me, I smiled back,

I asked what was wrong with a wider smile,

Frowning, he claimed, "You failed to keep your promises."

Contemplating, I said
Calm I was, tried to be, all the time, mostly
Moments of composure flashed through my mind
and I winked at my mirror
My mirror yelled "Does getting angry at yourself not count?"

Thinking further, filled with confusion, I said
Benevolent I was, as much as I could be, all the time, mostly
Moments of love and kindness filled my heart
And I smiled at my mirror
My mirror smirked "What about being compassionate to yourself?"

Thinking yet some more, filled with remorse, I said
Honest I was, tried to be, all the time, mostly,
Moments of truth and verity wiped my soul
And I gazed at my mirror
My mirror mocked "Were you honest to yourself?"

Awestruck by the image of my mirror,
I flipped through the pages of life,
only to ask "Do I count?"
In my anger, in my compassion, in my honesty.