Joy
Joy shakes me like the wind that lifts a sail,
Like the roistering wind
That laughs through stalwart pines.
It floods me like the sun
On rain-drenched trees
That flash with silver and green.
I abandon myself to joy—
I laugh—I sing.
Too long have I walked a desolate way,
Too long stumbled down a maze
Bewildered.
Credit
This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on February 6, 2022, by the Academy of American Poets.
About this Poem
“Joy” appeared in Opportunity IV, no. 26 (October 1926).
Author
Clarissa Scott Delany
Clarissa Scott Delany was a poet, essaysist, and social worker associated with the Harlem Renaissance movement. She died in 1927.
Date Published: 1926-01-01
Source URL: https://poets.org/poem/joy-0