One Smile At A Time Poem by Alfred Ramos

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Her clothes were ragged
Her face smudged with soot
Her eyes reached out
And pulled me inside her world
She was ten but looked five
Bony shoulders slumped
Her hair matted with dirt
Yet a gleam sparkled from her eyes
My feeling of despondence
For her impoverished existence
My unknowing of suffering
Left me in a dark place
She smiled just once
And my heart lost all gravity
In her world where hope is disguised
A new sunrise is her most cherished gift
Yet, radiance expanded from cheek to cheek
She placed her hand in mine
And a new world transcended
Rich new blood rushed through my veins
All muscles relaxed and a smile emerged
I knew my life had changed
And I could be the catalyst of new hope
Creating smiles on children asking little in return
Virgin thoughts scrambled through my brain
An opportunity of magnificent magnitude
A smile cost nothing
She did not look at my pockets for change
Her jaundiced eyes just pierced my soul
Searching for an honest truth
The warmth they exuded, melted my heart
I knew now that hope was just a smile away
Easily negotiable with open eyes