My Smile Becoming
by Odin Roark

So long ago
That ear-to-ear warmth,
Once born of toothfairy beliefs
Atop my pillow’s darkness,
With impish surprise
You did introduce your caress.

As the child became man,
I did curse you once, twice,
Maybe three times.
I don't know.
So many fantasies came crashing down
Made heavy-hearted by disappointment.

Then…

As time passed,
You crept onto my washcloth.
Almost invisible, actually.
Just hanging there,
Dripping innocently.

Finding continued sadness on my face,
Your moist avatar winked,
Trusting any doleful tomorrows,
Could always be scrubbed clean,
Allowing a joyful persona to appear,
If only…

Years passed
Your enigma urged me along until
I invited your patience
To finally heal my nightmares,
My false yesterdays
My clinging to unearned dreams.

Today, you're the friend I always had
Having always been the gleam of mind’s river flow,
The crackle of synaptic fire,
The fueling of hope’s infinite rewards.

I merely had to look
Beneath the pillows
Of my darkness
Finally letting loose your grin’s beginning,
My smile becoming.