The Poetry Corner

Confessional

By Paul Laurence Dunbar

Search thou my heart; If there be guile, It shall depart Before thy smile. Search thou my soul; Be there deceit, 'T will vanish whole Before thee, sweet. Upon my mind Turn thy pure lens; Naught shalt thou find Thou canst not cleanse. If I should pray, I scarcely know In just what way My prayers would go. So strong in me I feel love's leaven, I 'd bow to thee As soon as Heaven!