Anatomy of a Smile

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

I have always been an avid reader. Once, when I was very unhappy, my mother tried to coax a smile from me. ‘What is there to smile about?” I snapped irritably.

“Every smile has a happy ending,” she said, and then added with a knowing smile of her own, “but you have to read the whole book to appreciate it.”

It was years before I really understood what she meant.

When someone dies, remembering them can hurt ... until you start turning the pages of the book you wrote together and happy memories leap out at you like the best photos in an album to cherish always.

ANATOMY OF A SMILE

There’s a face

at a window I always see

whenever I pass by;

it’s always there,

smiling at me, and I know

the reason why

There’s a face

at a window I always see

if rain makes it blur;

it’s always there,

laughing at me, a rare joy

to remember

There’s a face

at a window I always see,

day and night;

it’s always there,

telling me, for each wrong

there’s a right

There’s a face

at a window I always see

whenever I’m down;

it’s always there,

to lift me, make damn sure

I move on

There’s a window

I always see in smiley faces

passing by;

it’s always there,

reassuring me that our love

will never die

Copyright R. N. Taber 2011