The Smile Factory Poem by Cody O'Hara

Up here in my mind
Always working,
Spinning, daily grind
Flailing, whirling

The machinations never stop
Producing more and more
Always meeting quota's top
The smile factory does out-pour

Thousands of smiles,
Trying to cover
Any of the small trials
That all day hover

Floating and flitting
About my being
Trying to make me admit
To what I'm not seeing

If I ignore what is there
There is no trouble
I won't have to care
As my eyes see double

The little worries
Bubble and boil
Marking a time to hurry
So that the smiles don't spoil

But one wrench in the cogs
And the factory grinds to a halt
And so let loose the sobs
All coming down to my own fault

Perhaps if I just kept smiling
It would make others happy
Perhaps I'll keep smiling
To keep others happy

Always smile
Then no one will ask
Always smile
For the world wants you masked