Sinister Smiles

This is a submission for Kevin’s No Theme Thursday.

Image by Kevin from The Beginning at Last

What’s the story behind that sinister grin?

Enough to raise the hair under your skin

Tales of torture live behind those eyes

Angelic disguise to conceal all the lies

What’s an innocent person supposed to do?

Masquerading in plain sight, a deadly truth

Dreadful revelations that can’t be explained 

Energetic voids that will leave you drained

Beware the deception through their teeth 

Amidst the faΓ§ade they hide underneath

Trust your intuition, it won’t lead you astray 

Alarm bells ring, heed the message conveyed 

Insidiously, it seeps in – a feeling deep within

Tricks before your eyes, almost like a sin 

When they won’t part, and incessantly stay 

Call out their transgressions, or simply walk away 

If you think of leaving, they’ll make you pay

β€œYou’re wrong,” they’ll argue, to sway you their way

Manipulate to control, they accuse you once more

The final choice is yours – to walk out the door

©️ Laura Bennett


Ever have a feeling…that feeling, that you know someone is full of bullshit but you keep on nodding your head?

Stop doing that.

That person is draining you and your energy.

You don’t have to keep tolerating them.

Shut the door.

If that person is emotionally or mentally manipulative, is always dramatic, always has a problem…

It’s them. Not you. 

Once you sense something’s amiss, it’s time to GTFO. It can often be right under our nose, in plain sight.

Save yourself time and reclaim your energy.

Happiest start of the new week to you all!

πŸ’‰ P.S. – Not all nurses are evil. You thought this was gonna be an ode to Nurse Ratched, didn’t you? πŸ˜† 

87 comments

  1. Some nurses though… Lookout. Especially those smiling while they hold needles. πŸ˜‚

    I know all too well “that feeling” and I think I’ve finally learned that all-important lesson of trusting my instincts when the bulls*t alarm goes off.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thank you so much, kind sir πŸ₯° glad you thought it was eloquent…here I was wondering if it was garbled after no sleep all night 🀣 and thank you for a lovely image 😍 always perfection ❀️

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Brilliant poem Laura πŸ‘. Sad, heartfelt, and yes! I’ve certainly had β€œthat feeling”…and eventually GTFO!
    I’m glad to hear that β€˜not all nurses are evil’ πŸ˜†
    Have a fab week, Laura βœ¨πŸ’•πŸ˜„

    Liked by 3 people

    • Glad you listened to your instincts and GTFO, Sara πŸ™ that’s very important too. And thank you ☺️ so kindly πŸ’• πŸ€— and yes, let’s be thankful not all are evil 🀣
      Hope your week is starting off well!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Well said. It can definitely be easy to sometimes fall under the thrall of energy vampires. Thanks for the reminder to break free πŸ™‚

    Liked by 3 people

    • Thanks so much, Daniel! 😊 it was intentional, to send another message, although I think I did a better job with the β€œOut of the Ashes” poem I had where I used the same sort of style. Thanks for noticing! 😁 Hope your week is going swell so far! ✨ β˜•οΈ

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ahh yesss, excellent 😁 I’m glad you’re a horror fan! Me too! And I’m glad that was able to come through πŸ•―οΈπŸ‘»πŸ¦‡βœ¨πŸˆβ€β¬›

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Sounds like you ran into a narcissist at some point there Laura, the world is probably abound with them at this point! Watch out especially for those covert ones, they are harder to spot & potentially more dangerous🀯! keep calm and carry onβ˜•. Hope you are all well Laura and life is good…Best, Jay😊

    Liked by 2 people

    • Hey Jay! Happy to hear from you 😊 hope all is well your way β˜•οΈ things are good yes, and unfortunately I encounter the ugly mental health aspects everyday at the job. 🫣 *hides* lol. And yes there are quite a few that are covert, too. Definitely more of the β€œvictim” with those. It’s sad but what you said is probably right, there’s more out there now then probably ever. Thank you again, Jay. πŸ™ 😊 β˜•οΈ Have a great week!

      Liked by 1 person

      • Hi Laura😊. Yes all well here thanks. Just sat down with a morning coffeeβ˜• and looking outside at our first big snowfall of the year. I am warning the already aware then it seems, as you seem to know exactly what I mean…yes they are often the victim and will have you running around all over for them, until you become aware of the game. Hope the Sun is still shining in Florida🌞! It is chilly here now. You are very welcome! You too Laura…have a great oneβ˜•πŸ˜ŠπŸ‘. Best, Jay

        Like

      • 😎 Getting in. Not completely yet (and never😜). Great 11-holiday-week that ends today, with this intuition prompt…πŸ₯ΈπŸ˜‚ Coincidence? Who knows! So busy but because so many plans achieved. Soon written within my blog site (just the stories I can share for public, of course πŸ€”πŸ€“πŸ˜‚). Hope you are having a good start of the week too!!!

        Like

    • A really bad thought indeed! πŸ˜³πŸ’­ I’m glad you liked it and thought it was fun, Thomas. I try to make things enjoyable when I can 🀣 and yes! πŸ‘ Wise words – not everyone can be trusted.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you Pooja. 😊 I’m a fan of darkness especially when the vibe just hits right. I can’t stand energy drains, ugh 😩 sometimes we don’t even realize until long down the road the person who is doing it to us. πŸ™

      Liked by 1 person

      • Does darker poems there’s so much fun to write and I think this prompt with perfect for a darker poem. Call absolutely those energy draining people hurt so annoying and yes sometimes you don’t realize it until much later on😭

        Like

  5. Great post, Laura! Like the poem-within-poem 😎 I saw this one, but since Kevin usually makes his female characters quite alluring, the empty ward and her come-hither look had me going off in a different direction. Def not Nurse Ratched πŸ˜‰

    Liked by 2 people

    • Haha! 🀣 it’s funny you mention that Darryl. I definitely thought about going β€œsexy nurse” with it, but that syringe πŸ’‰ sent me the other way πŸ˜‚ and yes Kevin does have quite a talent! I’m glad you liked the post πŸ™ so appreciated 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Wonderful Poem

    It’s so true, sometimes we stay in situations or tolerate people who drain us, even when our instincts are screaming at us to step away. Trusting your gut and protecting your peace is essential. Your words are a powerful reminder that we don’t have to tolerate toxicity, no matter how cleverly disguised it may be.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Thank you so much, Willie. πŸ™ Your comment is so true. With family, friends, employers, any type of relationship, it’s hard to break away from them sometimes if there’s some kind of attachment or you feel bad. But it’s necessary for our sanity and even health. Protecting peace is definitely of utmost importance ✌️ πŸ•ŠοΈ thank you again, really so appreciated 😊

      Liked by 1 person

    • Edward, there’s a pharmaceutical marketing strategy somewhere in your future! 🀣 A caffeine-infused IV bag, a Fukitol vaccine, sounds like a plan to me!! πŸ’‰

      On a less goofy note, those are very true words. If they seek to only compete or make you feel bad, argue, or constantly question…not worth it!

      Liked by 1 person

      • Thank you for your vote of confidence! We should create a partnership. The good thing about the Fukitol vaccine is that we don’t need a vaccine card. The whole world would know we were vaccinated. πŸ˜‚ Yes, πŸ™ŒπŸΌ to your less goofy note. Well done, Laura.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Haha!! 🀣 you’re so right Edward. Thank you. πŸ™ and yes, the whole world will know and will be lining up so they can no longer give any…well, you know πŸ˜† πŸ™Œ thank you, start writing your acceptance speech for the inevitable conference the masses will want to have on how peace was accomplished and cured by caffeine and Fukitol! πŸ’Š πŸ’‰ β˜•οΈ 😁

        Liked by 1 person

      • Omg, I totally forgot about that movie!! πŸ˜‚ now I want to rewatch it! But yes….kinda like that!! LOL πŸ˜† no peace without caffeine! β˜•οΈ β˜•οΈ

        Liked by 1 person

    • Oh. No it’s not just about nurses. I’m a nurse so it’s just a joke in general about β€œevil nurses” which is something I’ve ranted on about for my job in jest. πŸ˜‚ It’s definitely for everyone and any outer β€œmask” they display as kind, loving, innocent, but somehow you know that not to be the case. 😊

      Liked by 1 person

      • I have a sister in law who was a nurse and she’s such a gem ☺️. There are a few odd ones as happens everywhere else.
        Oh gosh, I’m surrounded by those types of people it is exhausting. One has to have thick skin or choose not to be offended, πŸ™ˆπŸ™‰πŸ™Š is my mantra 🀣.

        Like

  7. So well said, Laura. We shouldn’t ignore that gut feeling. This reminded me a lot of my ex-husband. He was a master of manipulation. I’m so glad I found the strength to break away.

    Haha, loved that P.S. The first time I saw this image, I thought you were going to come up with an ode to Nurse Ratched

    Liked by 2 people

Leave a comment