Howdy Doody Time! By Reid Baer When I was very young smiling wasn’t for fun. It was a visual aid. A family secret and a pathetic charade. In private we fought like demons and suffered like the damned but in public a silly grin was a passing parade, but hey, don’t tell anybody what you’re really feeling: sad – or mad – or scared. Just act foolishly glad be- cause you don’t want that home grown cavalcade of hurt raining down on you for telling the truth and so even today I must say I may put on this mask - put my emotions away even if the cosmos comes crumbling down around me – I’ll tell you everything is swell … but hell! there’s a price to pay for one big A-Okay! -