Meaning of the Smiles

When I was betrayed for the first time,
I smiled because it was something new for me,
It brought a jerk along with the freshness .

The second time I was betrayed,
I smiled, because it failed to meet my expectations ;
With all its  sophistication , it never reached the
nastiness I yearned for.

On the third occasion too I smiled ,
with some effort indeed ;
because I could not remember any other reaction
that could be shown .

I was as predictable in nature as the betrayals were .
I was a perfect match, color by color.

Reviews

[Joyce S. Greene]

Smiling in the face of repeated betrayals is hard to do, Anand, and I admire your strength in doing so. On the other hand, as your final line seems to suggest, are you betraying yourself by expecting those betrayals as your due with a smile? Would it be better to not put yourself in a position of being betrayed? Hopefully, that is the solution to the puzzle you pose.. Your poetry is always food for much thought and I think it's marvelous.

[Anand Sehgal]

thanks a lot Joyce :) It is a joy to have you as a reader :)

[Vidya Bacchus]

People smile sometimes to hide their hurt.You tell yourself that the other person will have power over you if they see your pain,hence the smile.Nicely penned

[Anand Sehgal]

you got it right Vidya.. very good

[Vidya Bacchus]

thank you very much

[Rafia ~ Yellow Girl]

Ha!
This world's so full of such happenings and this is a nice piece to share the series of experience you went through, the blow third one gave took my breath away..

[Anand Sehgal]

Thanks a lot my dear friend . We die everyday by a little amount

[A. Garcia Sagarra]

I admire how you can smile when you are betrayed, even if you had other reasons it stil was a painful thing to put up with, perfectly written :)

[Anand Sehgal]

thanks a lot Sagarra :) :)

[Joiedevivre]

adaptation is the natural response! nice, one, made me think.

[Anand Sehgal]

Adaptation keeps us alive. you are very correct on that. If you don't adapt, you won't survive !

[Muse]

They say it requires more facial muscle to frown than it does to smile. I beg to differ. It hurts to smile when there is the weight of a heavy heart. It is difficult to use a smile to fight against the laws of gravity.

[Anand Sehgal]

But there is immense pleasure in doing something, which others find hard to do , isn't it?
read moreBut there is immense pleasure in doing something, which others find hard to do , isn't it?

how are you doing?

[Muse]

what does not kill me can only make me stronger..lol, yes there is some gratification in that.

[ms. barrie]

Hi Anand,

This is a very profound, enlightening poem you penned here.

Betrayal is very demeaning to one's soul, yet still smiling in the
Face of one who has betrayed you, is I agree: indeed very admirable.

This shows that one has a choice after being betrayed, either like
You state, smile while healing & moving on, still seek love,
Follow your aspirations or turn bitter and let that bitterness eat at you.

I love the last two stanzas, this is brilliantly penned, thank you
For sharing. We can all learn from this write.

~ Barrie Joy

[Anand Sehgal]

thanks a lot Barrie for the wise review :) glad that you liked it :)

[ms. barrie]

You're very welcome, Anand, well you penned very wise words here!
Yes I enjoyed this write a lot! I'm looking forward to visiting more
Of your writes...very soon, pen on :)

[Ayvid N]

I envy you because I just do not have the ability to smile in betrayal, deceipt and pain. Maybe, it's the anger in me that I find hard to restrain. But I have heard somewhere, that smiling is the best form of revenge. You have made a great point!

[Anand Sehgal]

thank you so much Divya ! yes, smiling indeed reduces additional worries

[Ayvid N]

You are welcome Anand. Keep smiling.

[Rayree Parker]

I. Can so relate !! TY ...

[Anand Sehgal]

thanks a lot for reading it :)

[FlatLineBeauty]

I am surprised you could smile. When betrayed I either lash out and rip a new one or I break down and fall apart. Although when someone betrays you, it is not always your fault. I hope you know that. xo Winter

[Anand Sehgal]

outburst of anger leaves you exhausted !

[FlatLineBeauty]

It does, but sometimes it helps you feel better. It is better to let your anger out then to bottle it up. Bottling it up has been proven to cause health problems.

[Josie E. Cook M. A.]

THE SMILE IS LIKE A BANDAID TO COVER YOUR PAIN. SEEMS YOU HAVE SOME EXTRA SPACE HERE BEFORE YOUR PUNCTUATION-IS IT THE WAY YOU INTENDED?

[Anand Sehgal]

which line? I'm sorry I didn't get ! :(

[Josie E. Cook M. A.]

The extra spaces at each line before your punctuation...I did not know if you intended those to be there? Otherwise, it is a nice piece of poetry.

[Anand Sehgal]

It is not strictly followed , but somehow it has come into my writing by and large. A space to ponder over , may be :P :)