Today, i smiled again in front of my mirror

I wake up today as i do everyday. It takes another hour for my feet to hit the ground.

I brew my coffee, and go out to take the newspaper.

I pull my lips into a smile as i pass the mirror, shrinking my eyes , as if I'm afraid to meet the pits in it.

I read the newspaper, but don't string the words into sentences.

I take my milk pan in, smiling again as i pass the mirror. The industry tucked safely away, only my milkman visible to my naked eye.

I take a walk down my neighborhood. I fixate on the shape of their fences as i walk, the slums of my country buried somewhere deep inside my thoughts.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, the factories and their smoke all hidden away in the curve of the planet's surface.

"What else can I do, What else can I do?" I cry out to the families gazing out their window. Nobody listens.

I head back to my home, turning the TV on. I put on the news. My eyes study the buttons on the remote instead, the cries of the children faint against the ruffle of my fur shirt.

I wait, biding my time, until its my turn to wail, and all my neighbors smile into their mirrors.

But today, i pull my lips into a smile in front of my mirror again.