A smile is quite a funny thing,
It wrinkles up your face.
And when it’s gone
You’ll never find
Its secret hiding place.
But far more wonderful it is
To see what smiles can do.
You smile at one,
He smiles at you,
And so one smile
Makes two.
– Anonymous
- Anonymous poem
- Appearance/nature of smile: funny, arousing laughter
- Effect/work of smile: makes others smile too. (which is far more wonderful thing according to the poet)
- “far more wonderful”: ‘what is’ has been compared with ‘what it can do’; appearance vs. effect; nature vs. work
- “what smiles can do”: ability rather than function; indicates the power of smile
- What is the power of smile? Its pervasiveness (i.e., ability to spread).
Summary plus Interpretation
This poem doesn’t have any known writer, so the poet is anonymous.
The poem is about the nature and wonderful work of smile. By nature smile is funny, which means it arouses laughter. It wrinkles up one’s face, which makes it look funny, and when it disappears, it isn’t found anywhere, as if it has a secret hiding place. Far more wonderful than this nature of smile is its powerful effect. It is capable of spreading by making others smile too. It is pervasive – when one smiles, others will smile back, and thus the smile multiplies. Hence, the poem highlights the funny and pervasive nature of smile and its wonderful ability to make others smile too.
Ramrowriter 
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