fake smile

“Your smile is your asset”
Someone once told me.

My smile
Now a thing of past
That grin that i sport
Is a painted one
I donned this mask
To potray the world outside
That they can never hurt me
How much ever they want

Every morning
Painstakingly but without fail
I wield my brush
Paint a fake smile
Squeeze my lids shut
And build a dam
Across the salty water reserve
That rests in my eyes

Pain slices me apart
Tears threaten to spill over
But my smile
though counterfeit
Paints an illusion
That my life is blessed
With happiness in abundance

 Paint