Joy

“The Joy
of the Lord
is my strength…”

This I sing
when there seems to be
no good reason for singing.

But this is a Joy
beyond all circumstance
and beneath mere feeling;

It is part of the fabric
of Our Being.
It is the wellspring
of our healing.

This Joy is
the Hopeful Song
of the slave
and the soft salted smile
by the side of the grave.

This Joy is made
of redemptive laughter;
as much for Here
as for Hereafter.

This Joy is made
of the Mother’s Tears
warm in our veins
when we face our fears.

This is the Joy
born of sorrow’s
cracked seed…

This is the Joy
of a soul
finally freed.

Not something
outside to be wished
or attained,
but inherently Human;
Divinely ingrained…

And so I sing
in the midst of the pain~

“The Joy
of the Lord
is my strength…”

~Cheryl Anne