Save Your Smiles

When I was a little girl, my mother used to teach me the value of saving money with an example.


The example was of the working class in our village who, whenever there was a harvest, used to have money that would suffice them a year.

But instead of doing that, they would loitre it around
Party every day
Until the money was no more
And they are back to being destitutes


Maybe they were just chasing after the feeling of being rich for a few days
Or maybe they just do not think at all

I learned this lesson
But only in its exact same words
With no extension of thoughts towards any other matter, whatsoever

I stand on the side of the road
Its mid day
Sun is a bit too bright
There is a car reversing just near me
For some reason, I am not there

I wish and I wish
I wish I had learnt to save a few smiles
And a few skips of heart
For days like these

Why are we careless when we are happy?
Why do we get drunk on joy and lose it all on our way back home?

Happiness makes you feel immortal
and you, foolishly, believe it

so when the cities of your heart are dying
And houses are burning in front of you

All you can think is, how do I go back?

There is always this one point in time that triggers chaos
And sometimes, all I can think is how to go back and stop it from happening

Regrets and what ifs

(Now go back up and read the example again)