Lips

Mauve is the color of my lips

The lips that I line with revolutionary lines and color in with bold uncomfortable truths,

The lips I paint with honest statements to embolden myself to speak the truth and not worry about it being too pretty, or too disruptive, or too much of anything.

I don’t paint them to make them presentable.

I paint them to preserve myself and the authenticity that could easily be lost to me.

I do it because I have more to offer than being palatable.

I’m more than the distortions of others thoughts of my own lips and the words they bring forth out of my soul.

These lips stopped soothing others and now they self-soothe unapologetically,

These lips are painted with enough vibrancy to scream out in pain rather than be muted out of fear,

And even when they’re wrong they stand to be corrected.

I say all women should line their lips with revolutionary lines then fill them with their own uncomfortable truths,

Make it up if it frees you from your forced silence.