Smile

I looked at her, a smile across

both of our faces;

Red cheeked, red lipped;

Mother and daughter, happy together

At last. In a way I had never known

her, to smile in such a way

but we were happy. All three,

we were happy. The bottles of liquor

empty on the family table,

The cans of beer that I had not drunk

And the wine that was instead my favourite.

And my father, laughing at her silliness;

At her squiffiness and I saw his love

For her, a love I seldom saw.

And I understood that love

In the smile across

Her beautiful face.