I have long suspected

I only need to smile,

Not to attract mates,

Just to steel myself.

A good cheer on its own,

Is a show of defiance.

Within the joy that springs,

Lies self-reliance.

It's one secret of living,

As easy as the air.

Yet many a glum man seek,

Till they don hoary hair.

Whatever life throws at me,

I take it in stride.

Through a cool world,

I beam and glide.