Friend and Fiend

 

 

Friend and fiend

So look alike yet so different,

The former we adore

The latter we resent.

 

A friend we all need

Note the presence of the “r”,

A fiend without it

Simply means keep far.

 

A friend in need

Is a friend indeed,

A fiend in deed

Will take you out with speed.

 

Just a little coloration

Or discoloration, if you please,

And a fiend can look like a friend

While putting you at ease.

 

 

The outcome, however,

Would be none too nice,

That friendly pit-bull

Can grip you like a vice.

 

 

Friend and fiend

Like the colorful snake,

Reaching out to stroke it

You might become the late.

 

Look at the words again

And the single difference note,

The removal of the “r”

Is like “Murder She Wrote”.

 

That dastardly deed

Is often done by a friend,

Or, in fact, one that pretends

But is really a fiend.

 

Lord, teach me today

How to recognize a friend

So that I can tell the difference

Between a friend and a fiend.

 

 

The devil often appears

Like an angel of light

So that we won’t run away

On account of fright.

 

He is the fiend

That approaches like a friend

But he is not a friend

You will discover in the end.

 

One will fend for you

The other will offend,

One will be like a brother

The other will pretend.

 

 

They may look alike

But do not be deceived,

Look closely for the “r”

Or you may be aggrieved

 

Yes, they begin the same way

And they end alike

But a fiend is a terror

While a friend is a delight.

 

Stewart Russell © November 2019