MUSIC
OF THE SOUL
BETTY PAUL
I have deliberately simplified
The circumstances of my life.
Set aside all who revel in malice.
Family politics I scorn and despise.
Poetry is the music of the soul
All that is vulgar and harmful
Keeps this music mute.
If the soul should sing it needs-
Quietus. A keeping away
From those who are at unrest.
The quintessence of the being
Should be calm and at rest.
The soul needs the music of the birds
The wind’s orchestra refreshes
The plants and the trees, the sky,
And the earth, all feed the poetic soul.
The friendship of sincere people,
The devotion of good servants,
The love of one’s immediate family.
The caring of those who help in sickness.
All these and other innocent contacts
Of the human family warm the soul.
From these experiences are born–
The music of the soul – Poetry.