Gosh! You still got chestnut vendors? Do they still roast them over coals?

Your poem only contributes to my puzzlement.

Why is it I find a smile adds so much beauty while also lightening my mood, making me feel happy - while at the same time, a tiny ache travels from my heart to my mind.

btw - I get the same way with the magic of music. A woman who sings beautifully, for some reason I can no longer see her as ugly, for it feels as if her inner world has found a way to shine out and touch me, so that a haze of 'beauty' (the energy of life?) has transformed her.

A small anecdote:

A couple of years ago, I was walking in the mall when I saw a stunningly beautiful woman of about 20 to 23, very natural, little if any makeup, walking towards me. I've always been a bit shy so what I did caught me by just as much of a surprise as it did her.

I stopped her and said, "Excuse me, I mean nothing more than I am saying and I hope you go on from here to live a wonderful life. I just had to thank you, for seeing your beauty has made my day beautiful for me."

I walked away without looking back, but I could see her standing, looking after me, reflected in the shop window panes. I wondered if I'd had the effect I had hoped for on her. I imagine she told her friends or family and they had a good laugh - but I still was the one who benefitted, for her beauty really did make me happy for a moment or two, without my needing or wanting anything more.

I tthink I also was happy that I had finally matured enough to dare speak to a beautiful women, telling her how she made me feel, without my caring what others will think of me.

Just a pity I had to wait so long for it to happen.