The Face That Has to Get Up
taking off the make up
I stand in the bathroom
and scrub.
Mascara runs first.
Then the lipstick---
nobody kissed that mouth.
The woman who knew when to laugh,
when to nod,
when to look like she believed
all of it,
any of it.
The sink does not care.
It swallows the glitter,
the careful lines,
the promises
painted onto my skin.
I dry my face.
I'm back to the one
who buys her own groceries,
forgets to water the plants,
talks to herself
because somebody has to.
She looks at me from the mirror.
Not ugly.
Not pretty.
Just the face
that has to get up
tomorrow.
About the Creator
Tina D. Lopez
I’m just a human trying to make it in this world. I write about heartbreak, loneliness, longing, anger, family—all the things I can’t seem to leave alone. Everything I write is about me, even when it’s about someone else.
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