My neighbor met me on the street,
She dropped a word of greeting gay;
Her look so bright, her tone so sweet,
I stepped to music all that day.
The cares that tugged at heart and brain,
The work too heavy for my hand,
The ceaseless underbeat of pain,
The tasks I could not understand,
Grew lighter as I walked along,
With air and step of liberty,
Freed by the sudden lilt of song
That filled the world with cheer for me.
Yet was this all? A woman wise,
Her life enriched by many a year,
Had faced me with her brave, true eyes,
Passed on and said, "Good morning,
dear!"