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Comment on This Week's Poem

This week's poem is Mary Carolyn Davies' "If I Had Known" (visit https://lydonteaches.com/quite-excellent or search "Quite Excellent on iTunes or Google Podcast) to listen to it and hear the required word. This word ***MUST*** be used in your response.

This response counts as your participation for the week. To receive full credit, you must:

  • Write an original response that includes a TAG, a topic sentence that provides a claim, a short direct quotation, and commentary to explain how the quote supports the claim.

  • Response should be paragraph-length

  • Original response is due by WEDNESDAY

  • Be sure to explain WHAT meaning is created (based on your reading) and HOW it is created!

  • Reply to any TWO responses from other students by FRIDAY.

  • Replies should agree and expand, disagree and disprove, or question and offer an alternative to the original response or any other replies.


"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.