Notes to Make Up, Notes to Face
by Morgan Lyons
Make up
What do I have to make up for?
Having Spots
Pores
Oil
Flaws
Imperfect
Imbalanced
A dab here, a dab there
Conceal. Tone down. Clean up. Don’t just clean up, give up. Pay up. Get up, give up. Time, money, freedom.
Lips. Eyelashes. Cheeks.
Smooth them over.
You’re only human. Now make up for looking the part.
What do I have to make up for?
Having Spots
Pores
Oil
Flaws
Imperfect
Imbalanced
A dab here, a dab there
Conceal. Tone down. Clean up. Don’t just clean up, give up. Pay up. Get up, give up. Time, money, freedom.
Lips. Eyelashes. Cheeks.
Smooth them over.
You’re only human. Now make up for looking the part.
Make up; make time
Time to learn, time to realise, time to experiment
You are not anti feminist, anti expression
You bring joy,
You make some people soar
There is freedom in wearing you, freedom in leaving you My freedom is raw, organic, imperfect
Time to learn, time to realise, time to experiment
You are not anti feminist, anti expression
You bring joy,
You make some people soar
There is freedom in wearing you, freedom in leaving you My freedom is raw, organic, imperfect
Dark circles under my eyes
Pimples along my cheek bones
Wrinkles when I furrow my brow
Make up?
Make space
Make space
Space for my face, my preference, my comfort
Space to sweat, space to laugh and space to exist
Face, don’t apologise. Just emphasise.
Enunciate every pore.
Make your own foundation, one of steadiness, one of loyalty, one of acceptance.
You can blush. Go splotchy, go red.
If your face is a canvas, then let life hold the paintbrush
You don’t need to panic, don’t need to hide
If your face is a canvas, then let life hold the paintbrush
You don’t need to panic, don’t need to hide
No need to justify
Face, you exist. You are whole. You are free.
Face, you exist. You are whole. You are free.
About Morgan Lyons
Morgan has a passion for writing both stories and poems depicting body respect, intersectional feminism and queer representation. She is currently writing a fantasy novel featuring a strong female protagonist without a love interest, as she feels it is important to showcase platonic love as well as romantic. Morgan has had poetry published with The F Word magazine, a publication run by University College Cork Feminist Society of which she is a proud member. She currently lives in Cork where she is studying Spanish and Asian Studies at UCC.
You can follow Morgan on Instagram @morganlyo and @morgxart.
