Smile | A Poem by Deadly Poet-Happy

sketch me a portrait
vile and dull
leave your stencil pale with unmarked pencil shadows of where the smile should be
for mine remains buried behind layers of broken thoughts
the fading counterfeits of cherished memories define the blunt lines that form at the corners of my mouth every time i try to smile
i clench my fists
grind my teeth at every painting-filled humor
grumble at all your witty comic story tellers
for they can never understand what it feels like to be jealous of laughter
what it's like to exist in a world filled with no hope
for better things done, not even greater things to come

i would trade this lifetime of sleepless nights for one day of authentic smiles
walk for miles in the desert to uncover that oasis of buried happiness
find joy, then lock it up at the bottom of my heart
stack piles and piles of memories lost to this saddened life of mine
only to place a smile next to every nostalgic sentiment i hold in mind
find that pencil
sharpen it and go back to that portrait stencil
and trace down my smile
gather the finest ink and print bold those lines that form at the corners of my mouth
and look one more time at that portrait
gaze at it with that wonderful smile i'd now wear