Smiling and Suffering

स्मिलिंग एंड सुफ्फेरिंग

She had gritty teeth
And a stagger to her step
The colors she wore
Subdued rainbows
Although they were worn to tatters
With rips under each armpit
From lifting her arms so often
To beg for food

She didn't wear underwear
Hadn't since she was a child
It makes it easier
To squat
On the side of a road, a field,
or a shady grove

Her hair down to her waist
Oils practically drip, dripping
From every split end

She carried a small tin plate
For marigolds
And a bowl for change

She had God in her eyes
So vibrant and alive
But she was smiling and suffering
And trying to get by

When she bent over to touch my feet
A simple blessing
Her back may have cracked
From age
But it didn't show

When she blessed me
And received my offering
Her smile doubled
Her head bowed

The first fruit she'd had all day

She could really make love
Not in the Western sense
Not as in the 36 chapters of the Kama Sutra

She could make love out of necessity
Out of Nothingness
Out of Simplicity

And that's what made her beautiful
Beyond smiles