What Remains

Many panfuls of acquaintances
have sifted through the vein
and many a fool I was made
before realizing a true gain.
Just as dirt slips through the grate,
the fakes fall by the way;
things are not always what they appear,
and only the true friends stay.
What looks golden from the outside
is sometimes worth nary a cent,
and when put through the authenticity test,
the fair-weathers came and went.
So even as the contents dwindle,
I weigh the losses and gains,
and smile when stopping to contemplate...
the value of what remains.