makeup

every morning

i smear my lips

with blood

and my cheeks

with powder

and put on the face

in the mirror

that will take on

the world.

sometimes i take chains

with me

or leather

to hide my heart

cuz they say it’s

rough out there.

other days i hide

because i do not

want eyes

on my body

because it’s only

part of

me.

i spend too many minutes

examining my skin

counting my pores

and I feel like

hair and waist and eyes

with no soul.

i want the prettiest

part of my body

to be my heart

so why do i

never tuck it neatly

in the corners

and fix its little scars.