A hidden place where smiles are born
Is tucked inside your hearts
It's touched by joy and begins to grow
That's where it always starts

But before the smile can ever be seen
And show upon your faces
It travels through your minds and souls
And stops in many places

It will pause and kiss your funny bones
To see if you need to laugh
If not, it travels a little bit farther
And chooses a different path

It stops in a place called second thoughts
Where it sits for just a while
And once your minds have thought it over
It moves on towards a smile

When it finally makes it to your face
It stops right where it's at
And I hope that after you've read this poem
I caused it to do just that

A mistress has found her way to my heart
With a love I cannot shake
I knew it was love right from the start
She often keeps me awake

She's on my mind both night and day
Her mystery fills me with glee
Each time she leaves I want her to stay
She's becoming a part of me

My wife just watches with a distant stare
For she knows she could never compete
She feels my love and she's willing to share
For my mistress makes me complete

She's been around for thousands of years
But things grow sweeter with age
They don't understand especially my peers
They question the words on this page

Guilt, I have none, for it's not what you think
And though you think it absurd
For my mistress is made entirely of ink
My mistress, the written word

The paper turns to crimson
As she writes with all her scars
Her quill becomes the poet's key
That unlocks her prison bars

With her prison doors wide open
She's free from all her pain
A prisoner of her past mistakes
That's left a lasting stain

Broken trust gave birth to grief
As she writes of her abuse
But everytime she tried to leave
He'd have another excuse

She tried her best to cover her bruises
After the beatings would start
But nothing could cover the pain she felt
From the break inside her heart

She found the strength to walk away
And leave the past behind
She writes each night to find her freedom
But it's truly hard to find