WriteOut Smile Path

A Smile Path

A Smile Path is one of the curves around something in the way– a detour around some small impediment. Here, our usual path is up the stairs and into Cole Park, but today, after acknowledging the beautiful mule deer napping in the dappled sunlight this particular afternoon, we turned left to go around, to allow her the place she claimed today, which we witnessed, and walked another way.

Today’s WriteOut Daily Create was to share a “smile path.” #clmooc #DS106  @ds106dc   #tdc3932 #writeout I found this one from our photos– and it’s a frequent one. We tend to let the deer nap or munch wherever we find them on our walks; we can mosey another path.

Smile Path

Up ahead, she lay
a nap from afternoon sun
beside our usual path
up the rock stairs

Off to the left, we turn
smiling as we go
for the moment shared
with the brown eyes of a doe

Back my head turns
a photo of her to snap
glad to let her be, and we
smile on our “smile path.”

Sheri Edwards
10.19.22 294.365.22
Poetry/Photography

Your Turn

What puddle or creature or obstacle cause you to create or follow a “smile path?”


This post is part of the October WRITEOUT adventure of the National Writing Project and the National Park Service — a STEAM-powered Write Out 2022. Organized as a public invitation to get out and create, supported by a series of free online activities, Write Out invites educators, students, and families to explore national parks and other public spaces. The goal is to connect and learn through place-based writing and sharing. Learn more and sign up: https://writeout.nwp.org