A delightful composition by Josh Billings (1818 - 1885), an American humorist.

There is one kind of laugh that I always did recommend;
it looks out of the eye first with a merry twinkle,
then it creeps down on its hands and knees
and plays around the mouth like a pretty moth around the blaze of a candle,
then it steals over into the dimples of the cheeks
and rides around in those whirlpools for a while,
then it lights up the whole face like the mellow bloom on a damask rose,
then it swims up on the air, with a peal as clear and as happy as a dinner-bell,
then it goes back again on gold tiptoes like an angel out for an airing,
and it lies down on its little bed of violets in the heart where it came from.

One line summary of the poem: "Life is one big laugh!" :) Through a sequence of metaphors, the poem traces the phases of life from birth to death. It goes through childhood, youth and old age. The phrase 'looks out of the eye' reminds me of someone opening their eyes, signifying birth. The phrase 'on its hands and knees' reminds me of a toddler learning to crawl. Finally, 'lies down on its little bed of violets' reminds me of death. What I like is that our entire life is portrayed as one hearty laugh :)