*****

Recorded Reading (1:25): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ufx4i3b6sj8glirw7zi6m/28.07.2024-16.00.36.mp3?rlkey=lnt9pzmjeumld5zuxeu659yc5&dl=0

*****

Somebody Smiles

We struggle to assemble
All that’s needed for the day
Mustn’t be late for the job
Not a time to play

Making sure appearance
Satisfact’rily maintain
Wouldn’t want our presence
Giving anybody pain

Do we have our housekeys?
Are we set for lunch?
All deodorized in case
It comes down to the crunch?

Will we wish return to home
Even though we’d better not
So spend the day doing without
Something we forgot?

Is that kid laughing at us?
Is its mama laughing too?
Or have something else funny seen?
We sure wish we knew

Nerving selves the office for
Tightening the gut
Against the onslaught of all that
Water cooler scuttlebutt

Rushing off at lunch
To our neglected errands run
Wishing we could spend a little
More time in the sun,

Take a peaceful moment
Just a bit of ease
Before we go back to attempting
Everyone we know to please,

And then — somebody stops to share
A sunny, friendly smile
And suddenly all of that fuss
Seems much more worth our while

*****

This poet presently lives at a fraction of her nation’s poverty level.

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