Quick Summary

The Poem in One Glance

An old woman stands at a snowy street crossing. Many people and schoolboys pass her—but she is too afraid to cross alone.

One boy finally stops, helps her safely across, and explains that he hopes someone would do the same for his own mother one day.

Think before you read: Why can one small act of kindness matter so much to a complete stranger?

Who appears in the poem?

The old woman

Old, poor, slow and frightened by the slippery street and moving traffic.

The schoolboys

Happy after school and excited by the snow. Most of them hurry past without helping.

One young boy

Stops, offers his arm, guides the woman across and thinks about his own mother.

The speaker / narrator

Tells the incident from outside and guides the reader towards empathy and kindness.

Where are we?

A street crossing on a cold winter day.
Recent snow has made the street wet and slippery.
People are moving past while schoolboys have just been let out of school.

The Real Challenge The old woman is not asking for anything complicated. She only needs someone to notice her fear and help her cross the street safely.

The old woman is introduced as old, poorly dressed and physically weak.
She waits alone at a snowy crossing while people pass without noticing her anxious look.
A cheerful group of schoolboys comes down the street.
Most of the boys hurry past without offering help.
One boy stops and quietly offers to help her cross.
The woman places her hand on his strong arm, and he guides her safely across.
The boy returns to his friends feeling happy about what he has done.
He explains that the woman is “somebody's mother” and imagines his own mother needing help one day.
That night, the old woman prays for the boy who helped her.
The poem ends by calling him “somebody's son”, making the message of kindness universal.