Poems of Cheer/Hidden Gems

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

We know not what lies in us, till we seek;
   Men dive for pearls--they are not found on shore,
The hillsides most unpromising and bleak
   Do sometimes hide the ore.

Go, dive in the vast ocean of thy mind,
   O man! far down below the noisy waves,
Down in the depths and silence thou mayst find
   Rare pearls and coral caves.

Sink thou a shaft into the mine of thought;
   Be patient, like the seekers after gold;
Under the rocks and rubbish lieth what
   May bring thee wealth untold.

Reflected from the vastly Infinite,
   However dulled by earth, each human mind
Holds somewhere gems of beauty and of light
   Which, seeking, thou shalt find.