letters to friends

samantha nagel

and

Shyanne

Feb 01, 2025

A Love Letter to My Friends

a poem by Shyanne Martinez, published in Into the Wilderness: Tales of Belonging

I love the friends that make you feel like you

belong

Grab my hand in a crowd

Got you an iced matcha

I’ll wing your eyeliner type of girls

The ones who tell you which outfit looks good

when all you’ve done is change the necklace

The ones who listen to your 10-minute voice

memos in traffic

The ones who agree to split an appetizer

The cut your hair in my living room

Driving to hike at sunrise

“and another thing”

Type of girls

The fight a strange man in a bar

Grade papers while we talk

Breastfeeding in public

Type of friends

The friends whose messages you screenshot to

remind yourself how loved you are

The friends who come over with a breakup basket

and ice cream

The friends who drive across town every Monday

during rush hour so you don’t have to go the gym

alone

The women who take you under their wing and

share their stories from when they were your age

The women who let you call them big sisters

because they’re always the first to offer wisdom

The women who dance with you at weddings

The women who see you

Hear you

Hug you

Miss you

Sit on the bathroom counter with you

Grab your hand and say, “I’m in this with you”

Those are the women I want to embody

Those are the women who make me feel like I

belong

Shyanne Martinez is an established fiction and poetry author, leaning more towards the romantic version of literacy. Her novels explore themes of becoming, love, and friendship. Her poetry takes a more day-to-day stance of feeling left out, navigating your 20s, and accepting who you are supposed to be. Shyanne has been writing novels since she was a child, publishing her first book at 19 years old. Shyanne proudly works with various companies providing social media management, alongside being an educator, a beta reader, advocate, and an active member of her local church. Shyanne is probably best found at a Taylor Swift concert or reading a book at her favorite local coffee shop.

You can purchase your copy of Into the Wilderness: Tales of Belonging here.