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Then Laugh
Build for yourself a strong box,
fashion each part with care;
When it's strong as your hand can make it,
put all your troubles there;
Hide there all thought of your failures;
and each bitter cup that you quaff;
Lock all your heartaches within it,
Then sit on the lid and laugh.
Tell no one else its contents,
Never its secrets share;
When you've dropped in your care and worry
Keep them forever there;
Hide them from sight so completely
That the world will never dream half;
Fasten the strongbox securely;
Then sit on the lid and laugh.
-Bertha Adams Backus
 Don't Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won, had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
-Author Unknown
 The Animal Fair
I went to the animal fair,
The birds and beasts were there,
The big baboon, by the light of the moon,
Was combing his auburn hair.
The monkey, he got drunk
And sat on the elephant's trunk.
The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees,
And what become of the monk, the monk?
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