Smile

Hi there,

Following the recent activities in Paris and the racial hate I was appalled to witness afterward, from people on social media and in person I started to type. What emerged was a poem. Go easy on me, I’m a novelist and a short story writer not a poet but the message is clear: We are all human, regardless of race colour or creed, don’t torture the innocent.

Smile

By P.J. Greystoke

The smile can be read in a variety of ways.

A cursory glance from a hostile militant.

A freedom fighter, ready to purge his demons.

A saintly soldier, as he selects his disciples.

The mother as she watches her daughters first steps

Outside for the first time,

Braving the new world.

The father as he holds his daughters hand

His eyes to the east.

Counting his bless’d.

The terrorist’s watery grin, laboured

As he sees the innocence.

His mind must focus on lessons of the past.

The child’s first steps will now be her last.