I.
I tried an experiment once
after too many days of Utah winter and indoors
with two toddlers.
I would see what my
smile
would get me…
We went to the library for storytime, and there was an older man
a grandpa
leading some children’s music by playing the harmonica
he had a suitcase full of different harmonicas at his side
So I asked him some questions
about a good starter harmonica and about music
I pointed to several in his case and asked about them
he said he taught lessons
he gave me his card, and I
smiled
and kept asking questions
before long, he had pulled a new harmonica out of his bag
and had me playing a few notes on it,
learning to close the holes with my tongue to make different sounds
it felt strange to be talking with a stranger about where to put my tongue
but I was learning and
I kept asking questions and I
smiled
and after awhile he pulled a small box out of the bottom of his case.
It was about the size of a stick of trident gum, but thicker
and he told me that it was mine and I
smiled
and opened it and it was a small golden harmonica
on a gold necklace chain, which he said
I could now take with me anywhere
“I can’t accept that,” I said and
smiled
and he closed his hand around mine
and told me that he wanted me to have it
because my
smile
had made him happy.
***
II.
It’s time for my annual interview
with a church leader.
A man that I’ve never met before,
he ushers me into his office
closes the door behind him and I
smile
as I shake his hand
and he pulls out the list of questions
he must ask to judge if I can
enter the temple, again.
I settle into my chair across the desk
from him and he steeples his fingers
and looks at me.
“Sister,” he says.
“I can tell from your beautiful
smile
that you will answer all of these questions
correctly.
I can just see these things sometimes.”
And I
smile
again as he signs his name to the
small white card that certifies
I am worthy.
***
III.
I went to the cantina at the invitation of
a friend-of-a-friend who knew I was just barely
divorced and wanting to ‘get out.’
That friend-of-a-friend bought me a drink
and then moved on
to the other side of the room.
And I sat there
at the bar alone, stirring my drink
and thinking.
A man approached and as we talked we
discovered we had more in common
than just our friend. And I
smiled
as he told me how hard it is to meet
smart women, who know some things
about technology. And then I
chewed on the corner of my lip
because I had never met a man in a bar before
and I hesitated
when he offered to buy me another
margarita as we
nibbled on nachos. I asked myself
what does it mean
that we’ve been talking for
two hours now?
And I wondered what should I do when he said
“Let’s get out of here,” while motioning to our
friend who had long since left
us in this corner. So I
smiled
and we went
for a walk on the beach.
And in the dark as he ran his fingertips
from my ear down my neck, I asked
why he approached me
in that bar and and he said
he couldn’t help it,
because of my
smile
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