The Three Smiles
written by: Charlie Bottle
@CharlieBottle
“The People whose first instinct is to smile when you first make eye contact, with them are some of Earth’s greatest treasures”
There are three smiles I remember,
My mother’s smile,
she smiled with her eyes
and her soul opened wide
welcoming you with kindness,
joy and tenderness,
the bitterness of seasons ceased,
and the calmness of placid lakes
reached your heart and you felt
her love enveloping you in stillness.
My Father’s smile,
the one happy smile of assurances
that all will be Ok
for life is like the day’s transitions,
each one has a promise,
and fear is walking in unfamiliar places,
have faith we will come through
difficulties great and small
teach us lessons we must learn,
His smile wrapped you
in warm confidence.
The Stranger’s smile,
reminding you of a relative
but one you just met,
one who could be a friend,
the oasis
in a desert of despair
where each prejudiced
grain of dirt
stares in stolid catatonia
unspoken words that scream,
“You! You will always be a stranger to me!”
In this melee, a stranger’s smile
births hope and says to me,
as I return it with mirrored warmth,
“We are the same You and I,
spending this brief moment
ordained in love, to comfort us
and to validate our existence,
look not to those who deny us
for they deny their own existence,
denying the love of humanity
that was planted in their hearts,
I am you and you are me,
and in this moment
together we are,
Humanity.”
- University of Aging - September 25, 2024
- Silence Lets Delusion Rule - July 22, 2024
- Mercy Heals All Wounds - May 13, 2024
