“It Really Is Just about the Maquillage, I Think” by Amelia Díaz Ettinger, published in Self Dissection, released in September 2023, has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
Please enjoy the poem, and feel free to leave a comment.
It Really Is Just about the Maquillage, I Think
by Amelia Díaz Ettinger
I loiter around my face
each stroke of a cosmetic pencil
redefining an eyebrow, an eyelash
a life
there is a morbid satisfaction
in this intimacy of self with self
to put on powders and mascara
a spell earmarked for internal dialogue
my own reflection as close as any lover
I don’t like my true face
but there is delight in this slow pace
the ownership of stolen time
the rote recipe
first the moisturizer
each brush with purpose even destination
a potential to reveal
anything at first not seen
from Self Dissection by Amelia Díaz Ettinger (The Poetry Box, 2023)
nominated for The Pushcart Prize by Shawn Aveningo Sanders, editor/publisher