why don't you smile awhile for me, jenny.

She smiles so beautifully, with so much joy, it's contagious like yawning. You can't help but pull a Joker when you see it. You feel a little different afterwards. Not much, but different. Hot shower after a hot day different.
I didn't know why for the longest time why she had this...ability. My inability to understand did not stop the inevitable from happening.

I see, I cheese.
My homeboys' see, they cheese.
Random restaurant diners see, they cheese.

Nor did it stop my desire of wanting that "different" feeling afterwards. Caused by something as simple as a smile.
It takes me back to the time before all of this. A time when doing a pennydrop off the monkey bars was nothing short of miraculous. Ride bikes to play ball, play ball to a fight, fight to the corner store, and eat 25 cent bags till the hum of the streetlights signaled the end of day well spent. A smile had heavy value back then. The bottom hadn't fallen out of the market yet. Price riding high and constant.
I mean, you carried the look and the smile from your 5th grade crush in your heart for at least a week. It became the thought that you recalled in your quiet time, away from it all. Made you stare at your feet and wonder if that hummingbird trapped in your chest would ever take a nap. And it did, till you saw her again. And if your lucky, that gift wrapped behind lips would be unwrapped for you. You didn't need it forever, the 5 seconds was plenty.

This stuff was potent. 5 seconds lasted you 5 days. Beating drugs at their own game.

She takes me back to this. And I now know why. Her simple gift is just the beginning of seeing who she is. The smile shows us her beauty, hidden deep inside. That will sustain her even when the looks fade. That will sustain us when she fades.
5 second exposure, a lifetime picture of true beauty.

Polaroids don't last that long

Thank you.