Joy struggles to find a space
between tightly pursed lips
-sneering
clenched teeth
-threatening
a deep, dark pit
-beckoning
it slogs and slams to stretch the distance
between skepticism and acceptance
A cynic smiles
From left to right
And all directions throb with light
Creative Experiments and More 
Your poems are always really powerful Reena! 🙂
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So glad you find meaning in it.
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That closing line is superb! If only smiling was not so difficult these days.
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Thank you, Punam! Glad you liked it.
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You are welcome, Reena.
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Great poem, Reena!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
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Thanks, Yvette!
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LOVE this:
“it slogs and slams to stretch the distance”
What a perfect description of a grimace. Whew. So good.
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Thank you so much, De Jackson!
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I like the thought of the smile as a relaese from stress.
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Thank you, Bjorn! Keep smiling.
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Very good take my friend
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🤗🤗❤️❤️
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👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
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The sibilance in this poem causes the poem to flow beautifully.
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It wasn’t planned, but it turned out this way. Thanks!
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🥰 you’re so welcome
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This piece is arresting in how physically it renders an inner state. Joy isn’t presented as light or ease, but as something embattled—caught between clenched teeth, sneers, and threats. The opening image immediately collapses emotional and bodily tension into one space, making joy feel almost illicit, as though it has to fight for permission to exist.
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I like how you interpret it 🙂 Thanks!
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