If your friend has turned out to be
Not a friend, not an enemy,
If you can’t tell right off the bat
If he’s good or he’s bad,

Take him climbing and test his best.
You will know if he stands a chance.
When he’s roped-in with you, like glue,
You will see if he’s true.

If this guy on the slopes just mopes,
If he whines when it’s time to climb,
Sets one foot on the ice - no dice! -
Stumbles, breaks down, and cries,

He does not belong here, it’s clear.
Don’t you scold him for this - dismiss!
Don’t be wasting your time, and I’m
I’m not wasting my rhyme.

If he did not complain of pain,
If he’d stubbornly scale the shale,
When beneath you the stone was gone,
He would groan but hold on!

All the way to the top he kept up,
From the summit he gazed, amazed,
Then you know that you always can
Trust your life to this man.