Acceptance

When people seem unprompted
beaming you a warm, accepting
smile should you assume it has
something to do with bona fides?

Or infer a consensus of approval,
like you’re a familiar with secure
history known – although lacking
formal application, or deduce a

Tolerance of faux anonymity, an
eponymous trait to be expected
of properly doing a job well with
a sociable ‘sales assistant’ face

Hard to say, but more than once
on such occasions those seminal
& voluntary smiles effused – and
even others have paused to grin

Expectancy modifies conceit so,
rides a shoulder once diffident to
all effete encounters in an aisle
implying importunate opportunity

Though it can’t be me, a vaguely
obvious retiree in trimmed grey
beard attracting cute attention,
must be another poetic beast

If smiles can mean more than
socially deferential demeanour 
one assumes as only polite but
truly neutral courtesy, then –

Maybe it’s not as diplomatically
impartial as it seems; one gets
an impression these events are
agreeing you’ve arrived
© 21 February 2012, I. D. Carswell