Lost Smiles

What price a smile; its value immeasurable? First learned when a cheek was tickled, long before an uttered jest, a nonsensical gurgling grin learned how to own a room. Before "trying harder" failed, sophistication and foolishness vied for our personal attention; painted smiles begging to be laughed at, lonely hearts begging to be loved - a quest never truly sated, while we struggle to find what we've always owned. (Inspired by Henry Miller's "The Smile at the Foot of a Ladder")