An uplifting poem written by Teal during a 'dark night of the soul' about the way that pleasure is truly known when contrasted by pain.
We cannot forever smile
To know the value of a smile.
Its symmetry is only known
By the violent disagreement of woe
Sorrow is the spot light
That Illuminates joy
On the stage of life
We must first clutch our griefs
In quivering arms
To learn how to drop them
To learn how to embrace
Relief instead
When you taste the value of a smile
When you feel its symmetry
Against your lips
You will see that you are the richest man on earth
Who has been begging for a living
That you already made
You will see that you are the freest man on earth
Who has been banging on the jail bars
That you already escaped from
Both wealth and freedom
Are meaningless
Without the awareness
Of what it is you are fighting for
What is the goal of your wealth?
What is the goal of your freedom?
If not to smile.
So smile today
And see
That the violent disagreement of woe
That the heaviness of grief and sorrow
Was worth it
Because
We cannot forever smile
To know the value of a smile
But once we know the value
We can smile.
