Just A Thing I Wrote.
Smiles are fickle things. They duck into dark corners and hide behind long skirts when afraid. They cautiously creep around upper lips when uncertain. They resist when provoked. They bend and sometimes break when threatened. They peek from behind open windows and doorways when tempted to return. They can pack their bags and settle into frown town for good when unloved.
Smiles require nurturing. We must sing them to sleep, provide bottles full of warm milk when needed (sometimes wine works too), and caress them when tears are shed. We should lather on the sunblock regularly and remember to hydrate. We must remember to wrap them in warm scarves and turtlenecks when the world is harsh and treat them to the tenderest of kisses when they need soothing.
Sometimes smiles crack in places so deep their edges show for days or weeks. We forget about them when focused on other things. We neglect their cries when we’re too busy. We give them food they shouldn’t have and let them spend the night wearing remnants of the day. And yet we expect so much out of them!
We rely on them when someone new enters our sphere. We ask them to protect us from the closeness of others. We hold them back when they start to quiver. We restrict them when they want so badly to feel comfort from others. They give kisses day in and day out — tirelessly working to please others.
We are relentless masters that don’t allow for lunch breaks. We force them to smack!, smack!, smack! on things that sting and bite. Sometimes they get bitten too. Those wounds can be deep, drawing blood to runs and burns. They’re licked countless times daily and dipped in hot liquids (sometimes cold) morning and night. Occasionally we ask them to do our dirty work.
The first line of defense when lashing out. The continuous pressing when our minds work too hard or we are unhappy. The sliding up and down slippery slopes. The rounding out of whispers in dark places. The nibbles and pinches and bumps in darker places. The licking and wetting and slicking. The shush![ing].
