make up on the midland line
she is a matisse, monet
in the way she dabs her
face to make up a mask
representing how she
feels
. train wheels squeal in
to motion & lotion is
applied to hide ravages
time enshrines: age in
lines
. she smooths grooves
to deflect & invoke an
illusion of youth, even
though she is young her
-self
. skull as parchment she
writes a poem upon her
face, stroking into place
phrasing so eloquently
traced
. an iPhone mirrors back
what her brushes attack
, lacquer a factor in her
arrangement of attractor
: self-portraiture
is a craft that arcs her
eyelashes as her eyes
spark, admiring the art
of self construction she
imparts
106th Weekly Poetry Contest