The Thing About Smiling

Take a minute, breathe!
The world is yet departing and your breathe fleeting
You've saved so much of your smile it's become a treasury
But you dare not use of it, not for fear of running out
For thought of being undeserving, you've caved in
To the troubles that whisper undyingly at night
About your lack of beauty and valor
"it is why no one waves to you," they say
And like a kid told to pack up for a journey
You hasten to accept their prognosis
Beat yourself to the curb, and hush your voice in gatherings
Where your insight could be key
Tell yourself you're only lucky to be loved
Repeating the phrase of the night whisperer
Even when tucked in your lover's arms

Take a minute, Breathe!
The tears won't save you, and neither will your silence
Your mind only envies you, for you have a face
While it does not, so it only exerts the power you permit
When you tremble and cast your eyes to the shadow that trail behind
Live a little and waste of your treasures
The thing about smiling is it always has good returns
Look in the mirror and stare only at your eyes
For in them you will find the beauty you've never once seen
Study the napes of your neck and feel your shoulders
Though they have ached so much from bending
They remain intact and firm like a good building
So decorate them and let them stand upright
Like soldiers returned from combat
And there lies, beauty and valor never lost