From the collection published in 2022, Writing Notebook 2021.
Your Friends
Not exactly
proof of a pleasant friendship
the threats and the snapping at
and the words like
Criticize and enemy and phony
with a little nudge from rivalry
A lot of people ask
inappropriate questions
and make judgements
and so do a lot of people
not. This last group
would be your friends. Usually.
Decay is a more powerful force
than people think.
3/8/21
Claudia McGill Writes Poetry, Did You Know That? 
The ability to judge which people have the potential to be sincere friends and which people only have that façade and will actually be toxic for us is a skill we often develop from rough experiences.
That’s something that is a continuing lifelong lesson, I think.