Poems From SAMNM

smile

Smile

A gesture of recognition for the weaker of heart

For those whose eyes aren't privy to

Despair

"smile" they tell me, ever so coldly

When I walk past with anything less than a show of teeth

And my head is always down, to avoid the looks of disgust at my defaulted frown

At any moment the word could be screamed in my ear

"smile" they tell me, ever so loudly

They touch my skin and stop me in my tracks

To reverse the way I set my face

Place their grimy hands upon my shoulders

And shake my brains to a scramble

Just to look like them, to grin just the same

To give up what's unwanted, to keep them sane

"smile" they say, ever so desperately

They slap me silly to wipe away the scowl

They stretch my cheeks and curve my lips

They force the muscles in my face upward

And pin my skin to keep it in place

"smile" they scream, ever so violently

Desperate eyes drill my soul

Pleading for a curtain to reality

To gain a sense of purity and hope

I cannot give what is not there

I do not apologize

This inconvenience isn't any fault of mine

So they drift away,

Avoid and defame what they cannot change

"smile" they whisper, ever so quietly

~S.S