Suddenly she smiled baring her five pink teeth,
Brilliant like stars against her bright blue face.
Her first since the uprooting,
Without warning in the winter sun.
Her tender limbs had fit my palm when
I plucked her off the streets;
a dull little thing, pale with dust
With her eyes on the ground.
Back home she was quiet
Barely breathing, lest I notice.
I kept her in sight,
Propped up on fresh air.
Exploring, she grew friendly and–
soon a climber growing taller,
But not a smile broke
A riot of colours on that face.
Her smile washed over me,
Like a warm bath on a cold day
Singing from every surface
Today is the day she smiled!
I know she may not smile tomorrow
But live on we must–
And sometimes when the winter sun smiles,
All we know is to smile back.