Happiness
Carl Sandburg





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.


What is happiness, anyway?


Carl Sandburg, "Chicago Poems," 1912