#when you're autistic and traumatised so you cant function in social settings

[theriverlune]

The smile

Apparently, the human social instinct to smile

is theorised to be the evolution of the "fear grin"

Observed in apes

they use the expression to show others they

pose no threat

I never particularly put my trust in smiles

People would give me a beautiful show

of their teeth

But they were razor sharp

with a relentless stinging bite

creating flesh-coloured decorative patterns

along my skin

I'd smile through the pain

I wanted them to know I posed no threat

When I saw it

I was in a circle of stranger and aquaintance

My dress didn't fit right, I had

to keep pulling it

And my body didn't feel right, I had

to keep pulling it

That's when I saw it

The smile

Duchenne

But not only that

the eyes were kind

the creases and lines

like gentle brush strokes

from the hand of a genius mind

It made all the difference

But even then, I still couldn't let myself trust it