A little brown cork
Fell in the path of a whale
Who lashed it down
With his angry tail.

But, in spite of the blows,
It quickly arose,
And floated serenely
Before his nose.

Said the cork to the whale,
"You may flap and sputter and frown,
But you never, never can keep me down:

For I'm made of the stuff
That is buoyant enough
To float instead of to drown."

Author Unknown