Love is like the wild rose-briar,

Friendship like the holly-tree—

The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms
But which will bloom most constantly?

The wild rose-briar is sweet in spring,

Its summer blossoms scent the air;
Yet wait till winter comes again
And who will call the wild-briar fair?

Then scorn the silly rose-wreath now

And deck thee with the holly’s sheen,
That when December blights thy brow
He still may leave thy garland green.

You’ve probably read Emily Brontë’s classic Gothic romance novel Wuthering

Heights in your high school lit class, but Brontë (1818–1848) is also
celebrated for her poetry. Her poem “Love and Friendship” offers a more
realistic take on romance: though we may neglect our friends while we are in
love, it is ultimately these friendships that will remain steadfast when winter
(which you can interpret as hard times or old age) comes. Send this poem,
along with these friendship quotes, to your friends who have stuck by you
through thick and thin.