Her Smile

Her Smile

Her eyes are bright,
the sky is white,
her cheeks are apple red;
but telltale tracks betray that
many tears have just been shed.

A smile graces cherry lips,
blue eyes are streaked with gold.
You'd never guess that circumstance
will make this angel old.

A closeup of an angel,
torn from heaven to the earth,
she smiles still but pain
will rob her smile of its mirth.

A young one, unaware that
life is long and hard and dark.
She's truly burning brightly now
but rain won't leave a spark.

Her eyes are bright,
the sky is white,
her cheeks are apple red;
I pray that life won't
render her uplifting smile dead.

Notes: This poem was inspired by a picture my older sister has taped to the fridge in her apartment; a closeup of a little girl smiling obliviously into the camera, cake streaked across her face. I was curious about it, and my sister told me that the girl had been through a lot. She didn't tell me what, but it really struck me how many kids go through horrible things at such a young age. This poem is for all of them, past, present and future.