Mona Lisa smile

would you want it if it was perfect?
if the prize held no surprise
if the fabric stretched without wrinkles
without flaws or pills or mars
when you hold it up for inspection
you discover the golden threads
while light dances on the beauty
of the yards in softest hues

would you want it if it was perfect?
a trail without twists and turns
a gravel road that stretches out
five hundred miles or more
not charted on any printed maps
not locatable by GPS
your high beams showing all that's true
on a path that is not so daunting

would you want it if it was perfect?
a photograph in black and white
airbrushed is the quality
hiding what doesn't meet the eye
framed upon the mantle
with a Mona Lisa smile
that brings up all the questions
of what is and won't be known

would you want it if it was perfect?
if the prisoner held less fight
it they surrendered their weapon
raising a white flag in the night
would it be any more rewarding
if resistance lays unmet
if in giving up on convictions
you won the battle but lost the war

Poetry by M.J.B. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License