This is a poem I wrote while I was in Liepaja, Latvia as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Then I felt like every day was a test of my ability to understand and communicate with people who did not want to understand or talk to me. :) It's still important to follow you instincts though. It did pay off in the end!
A smile means a lot
Maybe it’s happy, maybe it’s not
For emotion can be shown differently
A grin of discomfort, a grin of relief
Or that stare of cold eyes
That frown of a Titan
Is it laced with anger, purged to smite one,
Or is it concern in disguise?
This world would have you think
That what you believe is all up to you,
When how you feel and who you are is granted
When, really, you choose those things for yourself too
You see yourself in every sunrise, hear yourself in each song,
It reflects back something new, with what you knew all along
And if you let it, it can make your soft heart a little nobler and true,
Or, you can push it away with a hard one, and feel offended and bruised
How sad to think that the cold eyes, full of an anger you feel
May be hiding the love you need to heal
Unless you give up your disguise, and shed your self-hatred
That love will never break through, but remain secret to you
And how odd to think that the smiles which you love may hide pain and grief
Which you also know, and so often cover with a laugh
If you are too self-occupied to look, to wait until the mask falls,
You may remain ignorant of the one in need
There is one way to judge, the veil of doubt to shatter
We must listen close, and lift our hears above the chatter
For when we hear that still small voice, and follow with bravery
There is no result that could be more savory
If you follow those promptings, there's little more that matters
Maybe it’s happy, maybe it’s not
For emotion can be shown differently
A grin of discomfort, a grin of relief
Or that stare of cold eyes
That frown of a Titan
Is it laced with anger, purged to smite one,
Or is it concern in disguise?
This world would have you think
That what you believe is all up to you,
When how you feel and who you are is granted
When, really, you choose those things for yourself too
You see yourself in every sunrise, hear yourself in each song,
It reflects back something new, with what you knew all along
And if you let it, it can make your soft heart a little nobler and true,
Or, you can push it away with a hard one, and feel offended and bruised
How sad to think that the cold eyes, full of an anger you feel
May be hiding the love you need to heal
Unless you give up your disguise, and shed your self-hatred
That love will never break through, but remain secret to you
And how odd to think that the smiles which you love may hide pain and grief
Which you also know, and so often cover with a laugh
If you are too self-occupied to look, to wait until the mask falls,
You may remain ignorant of the one in need
There is one way to judge, the veil of doubt to shatter
We must listen close, and lift our hears above the chatter
For when we hear that still small voice, and follow with bravery
There is no result that could be more savory
