hidden smiles | Teen Ink

hidden smiles

July 6, 2023
By augustdaisy SILVER, Long Beach, California
augustdaisy SILVER, Long Beach, California
6 articles 0 photos 0 comments

the smiling children hiding sadness behind pearly white fake smiles

With duct-taped shoes and whispers of submission 

trying to stay hidden from those mischievous grins

asking for a nickel

hoping for a quarter

a small glimmer of hope as the Jeffersonian-faced bill landed in their bright ruby-red cup

"for luck," she says

and as the children gather, they believe it 

for a second they truly smiled 


The author's comments:

this is a poem that tells the story of faking happiness due to economic hardships


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