Laughing Eyes

When I get old,
I hope I have laugh lines
Around my eyes...

Laughing eyes are made,
Not born,
Achieved and earned
Line by line...

The first line comes
When the soul gets enough substance
To grit its teeth and clench its fists
Beat a sword into a plowshare
And gouge a big smiling furrow
Arrow-straight through the Dust Bowl.

The second line comes
When the mouth laughs
For the first time
While the ears are still ringing
And the hands still shaking from a nightmare.

The third line comes
As a purchase from the sun,
Paid for by a couple hundred hours of community service--
Non-tax-exempt--
Including but not limited to
Tea and sympathy,
Stick and stone cleanup,
Or volunteer firefighting
To save a burning bridge...

But three wrinkles don't make a faceful--
Some old people got thousands...

When I'm old
I want to have
Laughing Eyes.