TO A FRIEND
YOU ENTERED MY LIFE IN A CASUAL WAY,
AND SAW AT A GLANCE WHAT I NEEDED;
THERE WERE OTHERS WHO PASSED ME OR MET ME EACH DAY,
BUT NEVER A ONE OF THEM HEEDED.
PERHAPS YOU WERE THINKING OF OTHER FOLKS MORE,
OR CHANCE SIMPLY SEEMED TO DECREE IT;
I KNOW THERE WERE MANY SUCH CHANCES BEFORE,
BUT THE OTHERS - WELL, THEY DIDNT' SEE IT.
YOU SAID JUST THE THING THAT I WISHED YOU WOULD SAY,
AND YOU MADE ME BELIEVE THAT YOU MEANT IT;
I HELD UP MY HEAD IN THE OLD GALLANT WAY,
AND RESOLVED YOU SHOULD NEVER REPENT IT,
THERE ARE TIMES WHEN ENCOURAGEMENT MEANS SUCH A LOT,
AND A WORD IS ENOUGH TO CONVEY IT;
THERE WERE OTHERS WHO COULD HAVE, AS EASY AS NOT -
BUT, JUST THE SAME, THEY DIDN'T SAY IT.
THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOMEONE WHO COULD HAVE DONE MORE
TO HELP ME ALONG, THOUGH I DOUBT IT;
WHAT I NEEDED WAS CHEERING, AND ALWAYS BEFORE
THEY HAD LET ME PLOD ONWARD WITHOUT IT,
YOU HELPED TO REFASHION THE DREAM OF MY HEART,
AND MADE ME TURN EAGERLY TO IT;
THERE WERE OTHERS WHO MIGHT HAVE
I QUESTION THAT PART -
BUT AFTER ALL, THEY DIDN'T DO IT!
Grace Stricker Dawson
