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Happiness
by
Carl Sandburg


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I asked the professors who teach the meaning of life to tell
     me what is happiness.
And I went to famous executives who boss the work of
     thousands of men.
They all shook their heads and gave me a smile as though
     I was trying to fool with them
And then one Sunday afternoon I wandered out along
     the Desplaines river
And I saw a crowd of Hungarians under the trees with
     their women and children and a keg of beer and an
     accordion.

This poem is in the public domain.


Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967) was an American poet, children’s author, and biographer. The son of Swedish parents who immigrated to Illinois, Carl was forced to drop out of school after the eighth grade to help support the family. He worked at a number of different jobs, then did a stint as a hobo before volunteering to serve in the Spanish-American war. A plain-speaking poet with a style similar to that of Walt Whitman, Carl often chose American life as his subject matter--especially industry, agriculture, and the common man. Like Whitman, he attended several colleges, but never received a degree, except for honorary ones bestowed years later on the merit of his work.


Post New Comment:
dianapoet:
A wonderful poem by a favorite poet
Posted 01/22/2011 03:43 PM
dotief@comcast.net:
I'm with Gary! Good poem!
Posted 01/22/2011 07:47 AM
Gary Busha:
A good poem. Sandburg deserves to be read and reread.
Posted 01/22/2011 05:48 AM


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