Smile

“Smile
it won’t hurt so much
haven’t you heard smiling is contagious
if you smile you’ll feel happier
look I’m smiling
my smile isn’t enough for you?”

“Smile
that is what your bumper sticker says
that is what you believe
smiling makes the world happier
why aren’t your happy
I’m smiling
why won’t you smile
you’ll be happy
right?”

He laughed
“Does anyone believe that shit
smile, smile, smile
I had a terrible fucking day
and so many times I’d see you
smile you’d laugh
smile you’ll feel better
I didn’t
and I won’t
I do now though
knowing you know
smiling doesn’t make it better
I feel better
I actually feel like smiling
thank you for that.”

He readjusted the straps
“If you smile
you might not feel this.”
He laughed
“If you don’t smile
I’ll make you smile
a forced one might be your only option
as you’ve forced me
to feel I had to smile
even if I wasn’t happy
so everyone would be more comfortable
we work in a fucking cubicle
trapped within pleasantries
and you forced me to smile
to make the team more comfortable.”

“You were all correct
although you did force this out of me
nobody cares about that do they
they’ll look at you as an innocent
a woman taken by a man
me as a man with perverted tendencies
I am not
I’ve never touched you like that
they will look at me
and see me as a distraught man
an antisocial individual
I wasn’t before recently
I’ve realized if I must live in a place
where I’m forced to feel what I don’t
then I’ll allow myself to embrace what I do feel
and that right now
is absolute satisfaction
forcing a smile upon your face. “

Just to make sure it is clear I do not condone murder and or kidnapping. Murdering and or kidnapping someone is a criminal offense and morally/ethically wrong, clearly. It is only a poem, sometimes I write morbidly and other times I do not. Depends on what pops into my head in the morning. Recently I have been thinking about a bumper sticker serial killer type.

I also do not condone the use of bumper stickers because why would you want everyone to know what you represent by looking at the back of your car? The number of people in your family, your beliefs and so on. I hate bumper stickers just being honest. Hates aren’t often rational. Look at racists none of their arguments for why they are retain any rational thought and yet they still are. So I hate bumper stickers, at least I’m not a racist. I just get super frustrated driving behind a car with some bullshit bumper sticker, or stick figure families. I have an irrational hate for people with stupid bumper stickers no matter who they are. I’m not stating bumper stickers can’t be funny. Occasionally they make me laugh and that person gets a pass. Although super rare. Thanks for reading.
-Temperamentally Tina