Lipstick

Lipstick
I lick it off
It dries my lips
It tastes like wax

It makes me feel garish
When I choose a bright color
Like walking lips
Surrounded by a body

My mom liked bright pink
Coral, or cherry red
No eye makeup
Just lipstick

I wear lip gloss
With a soft tint
When I remember
It doesn’t last

I used to wear eyeliner and mascara
But not lipstick
Not any longer
Now my face is unadorned, invisible

Some women use lipstick as armor
A shield
A uniform to don to face the world
Not me

I am in awe of those who face the world
With perfect paint
And perfect hair
And perfect clothes

I would worry if my lipstick was on my teeth
Instead of on my lips
I would smear it around my mouth and look like
I just took a bite of something bloody

Perfection
Adornment
That’s just not me
My lips are bare