Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear, and despair—
these are the long, long years that bow the heart
and turn the greening spirit back to dust.
Whether sixty or sixteen,
there is in every human being’s heart
the lure of wonder, the sweet amazement at the stars
and at starlike things and thoughts,
the undaunted challenge of events,
the unfailing, childlike appetite for what next,
and the joy of the game of living.
