“[Mary Elizabeth] Frye wrote the poem in 1932. As far as we know, she had never written any poetry b

“[Mary Elizabeth] Frye wrote the poem in 1932. As far as we know, she had never written any poetry before, but the plight of a young German Jewish woman, Margaret Schwarzkopf, who was staying with her at the time, inspired her. Her young houseguest had been deeply concerned about her mother, who was too old and crippled and ill to leave Germany, but she was unable to go to her mother’s aid because of the rabid anti-Semitism that was erupting into what later became known as the Holocaust. When she received news that her mother had died, the heartbroken young woman told Frye in despair that she had never had the chance to “stand by my mother’s grave and shed a tear.” Frye found herself composing the poem on a ripped-off section of a brown paper shopping bag. She said that the words “just came to her” and expressed what she felt about life and death. When she showed the poem to her young charge, she prized it greatly, saying that she would keep it forever.” [source] -- source link

More pics about