The Smile At the Foot of the Ladder

It was a ladder called Death I found myself at its foot, a bit foggy in the mind, Hurt in the heart and worn out with everything else Next to it, was a signboard on which was written "Climb with a smile or with tears, it matters not, Whichever, you will have to climb!" Looking back at my life, I saw only pain, suffering, Struggles, hurt and regrets! And now, having come to its final stage, What was I supposed to do? Smile or cry as I would climb the ladder? Pray, I have smiled while I lived, I have smiled At those moments during which I was immortalised At those moments when everyone would tell me You should smile more! Yet, I was the only one aware of how empty my smile was How empty indeed, even if it lifted others off their feet! I looked up the ladder and saw not their end, Since I have trained myself to smile with emptiness all this time May I do so this time too, while climbing this last ladder known as Death! For Contest: The Smile at the Foot of a Ladder Written on 28th April 2019