“If I had known”/a poem
If I had known what trouble you were bearing;
What griefs were in the silence of your face;
I would have been more gently, and more caring,
And tried to give you gladness for a space.
I would have brought more warmth into the place,
If I had known.
If I had known what thoughts despairing drew you;
(Why do we never understand?)
I would have lent a little friendship to you,
And slipped my hand within your hand,
And made you stay more pleasant in your land,
If I had known.
Mary Carolyn Davies
