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A smile shows joy, or so they say
And if by joy you mean deception,
I nod in solemn agreement
When I curve my lips upward, a smile off a white tooth is not reminiscent
Of a sparkle in a blue eye
I will not smile flatly
But I laugh when a silly grin
Is still plastered on their faces
As they watch my retreating back
And a fleeting glance over my unyielding shoulder
Reveals row after row
Of perfect white incisors
And clinking wine glasses
Which reveal my reflection in half-sipped chardonnay

~Emily Purdie

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