The Oil of Joy

HAZEL V. HARRIS

Oh , weary one, take joy unto thy heart;
It is thy dividend designed to bless
Thy life to-day,—to-morrow has its part.
What hast thou in thy house, thy consciousness,
Of joy, the oil of joy, that thou hast stored?
A smile, a word, a sweet remembering?
Oh, give them now; and this libation poured
Will help another leaden heart take wing;
And this same joy, made active, will return
To lighten and to lift thy spirit high,
Until with certainty thy soul shall learn
That joy is always present, to belie
That men or circumstance can dim its power,
To silence lack, the way illuminate.
Then fill thy heart and mount this selfsame hour
On joyful wing to heaven's open gate!