The Woman’s Smile

Battered and helpless the woman walks alone.

The heaviness of the ordeal weighs her down each day more and more. No one asks how did it come to be.

Passersby look through her; not wanting to recognize their power to step in.

She keeps her head down, knowing she makes others uncomfortable.

She keeps her distance so as not to encounter another because the glares stab her deeply.

She wants to yell: I’m a person inside and although battered, I feel your stares. But she never does. She works tirelessly to keep her dignity in tact.

Then, unexpectedly someone passes on a smile and says: I hope this helps.

Hesitatingly, the woman looks up and smiles back. And although dirty with worn clothes, you can see it. You can feel her strength within. It gets her by.

And as she smiles, her cheekbones rise.

Her smile seems to eliminate the pain in her eyes. For an instant, the dirt which colored her skin became invisible.

That moment when smiles were exchanged, her smiles were like arrows shooting through the darkness. The woman realized that her dignity would get her through this ordeal and even though she had little to give to others, from this day forward, she realized she could share her powerful smile.