A smile may be etched forever
Mona Lisa need not be the only bearer
It isn’t only the rich who are entitled to a smile
It reflects off every mind that is not vile
The smile of contentment
Is a symbol of atonement
There are endless bargains to be had
But walking away would not be so bad
The light hearted are like minded
Without need to be constantly reminded
A smile doesn’t cost a penny
Hearts gladdened by it are many
A crescent with ends pointed up
Need not belong to an exclusive club
It is a reflection of the mind
That refuses to be unkind
It is a gift, a genuine virtue
Unlike a cold stone statue
Expressions say it all
Like a see through wall
If only thoughts were iridescent
They would not appear so evanescent
Constantly chasing them in the dark
Can turn a smile into a smirk
It’s easy to laugh
At humankind’s silly gaffe
Trading a simple smile
For a mind that’s hostile
It’s not just a stranger who suffers
But also our sons and daughters
Each one a unique embodied soul
All everyone is hoping for is to fill one’s bowl
With food, promptly chewed and forgotten
Thoughts are then energized, turning angelic or rotten
That is left to us, but we forget the basics
As everyone is off to the daily races
A worthwhile carry forward from yesterday
Is a smile that's there today
It adds to the life energies
With the power to subdue one’s enemies
Everyone is fundamentally the same
Even if differing in language and name
Each seeks to rest the head with a smile
As one nears the end of the last mile
It need not be a strenuous endeavor
To make a smile last forever
Lips are like a puppet
Parting ways in a smile, when thought don’t covet
The past which is dead and gone
And a future which is yet to dawn
Not wasting the energy of the current moment
One can forever cement
A place amongst the humble greats
Who have divined the full depth of the human race
Eschewing the future and the past
They can never be recast
In a mould other than the one
Which shines far brighter than our sun
A state that only effort can reach
Attainable when there’s more action, less speech
It is through separation that a smile can fully form
But clubbing together has become the norm
A smile cannot be passed on
If spontaneity is lost, and life becomes a put-on
A tiresome exercise
Why would anyone settle for such a compromise?
A habit perhaps
Which leads to further mishaps
On the journey forward
Into the grand expanse that lays inward
Smile is the language of silence
Easily communicated over a great distance
It’s a universal key
That will easily set free
Imprisoned thoughts destined to revolt
As time sets the moment, to revoke
The air of immortality
Assumed by our superficial personality
If that weighty anchor is voluntarily withdrawn
We are no longer the mind’s pawn
Free to smile forever
The day’s passing can no longer sever
Ties to our real self
The originator of time itself
Who has been kind to Da Vinci
His Mona Lisa isn’t a victim of time, which can be stingy
Living today as an immortal in the Louvre
A fate that the great man would surely approve
- N. Seshadri
