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West of Broken Bow |
When you get to know a fellow,
know his joys and his cares,
When you've come to understand him
and the burdens that he bears,
When you've learned the fight he's making
and the troubles in his way,
Then you find that he is different
than you thought him yesterday.
You find his faults are trivial
and there's not so much to blame
In the brother that you jeered at
when you only knew his name.
You are quick to see the blemish
in the distant neighbor's style,
You can point to all his errors
and may sneer at him the while.
And your prejudices fatten
and your hates more violent grow
As you talk about the failures
of the man you do not know,
But when drawn a little closer,
and your hands and shoulders touch,
You find the traits you hated
really don't amount to much.
When you get to know a fellow,
know his every mood and whim,
You begin to find the texture
of the splendid side of him;
You begin to understand him,
and you cease to scoff and sneer,
For with understanding always
prejudices disappear.
You begin to find his virtues
and his faults you cease to tell,
For you seldom hate a fellow
when you know him very well.
When next you start in sneering
and your phrases turn to blame,
Know more, before you censure,
of his business and his name.
For it's likely that acquaintance
would your prejudice dispel,
And you'd really come to like him
if you knew him very well.
When you get to know a fellow
and you understand his ways,
Then his faults won't really matter,
for you'll find a lot to praise.
Edgar A. Guest | |
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When You Get To Know A Fellow
