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 didn't 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

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