If I Had Known

(Above the Clouds by Hiroshi Yoshida, 1876-1950, Japanese painter and woodblock printmaker)

“Remorse is memory awake.” ~ Emily Dickinson.

IF I HAD KNOWN

If I had known what trouble you were bearing;
What griefs were in the silence of your face;
I would have been more gentle, 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 try to understand?)
I would have lent a little friendship to you,
And slipped my hand within your hand,
And made your stay more pleasant in the land,
If I had known.

~ Mary Carolyn Davies (1888-1966), American poet