Slip Of Lips~

If you knew

How to be a man

You would understand

That sometimes

My soul comes off

With my lipstick

When you press your fingertips against my mouth

 

But you always wipe it off

Without looking at the patterns

 

Lips are full of history

At the corners rest fables

Tiny, expressive muscles quirky with decades of movement

Fullness in berry, lush with character, vanity, temper, ripe with secrets

 

But you just b***h about its print

On your collar, and pluck my kisses from your jaw line

 

A white napkin stole my soul

And the coffee was as bitter as any other day

And I am left contemplating your cuff links on the napkin

Positioned between mulberry lips

Wondering if the lip prints will slip from your fingertips

And imprint in the leather wheel

As you back out

And journey back to the lie you share

With your wife

 

 

 

copyright:2011vssmd/amusemusepress

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Author's Note

~ouch~ I think I stung myself with those damn last lines~ btw this is a poem focused more on nuances of language and mood presentation than personalized content~

Reviews

[David W Moore III]

I agree with firewoman, i was holding my breath and not even realizing it. the first stanza is freakin (i know, a writer should use real words, but sometimes explitives are warranted) amazing. and i love the way the tone slides slowly to a bit acerbic at the end. a lip print, like a fingerprint is different for every person, as you hint at, a fossil of her history. how does one treat fossils, either with reverence and wonder, or with no respect. i think we know how this one treated.

[Ariel B.]

Mmm, this is marvellous. The imagery is so vivid, and pointed like the splinters of a white picket fence. I adore the slinky flow of "wondering if the lip prints will slip from your fingertips/and imprint".

[Lachenille Papillion]

You've hit the mark you've set for yourself, Selene. The mood starts smoothly and builds to crescendo without ever straying from the perspective. As for language, I like your word choices because they don't lend to the decorum of the piece. What I mean to express is that while the context of the meaning is crisp with clarity, the words do not contribute to flow of the piece. The rhythm of this read comes from the subtle building to the final sting, giving the reader the sense of background music in hindsight. I only wonder what song you were hearing in your head when your mind's eye first glimpsed this hue...

[Quinn Blackburn]

ouch! like hearing a ringing thud in your collection bucket and realizing it's your heart turned to lead. Excellent wordcrafting, dearheart!

[November Gold]

this left my heart beating a little faster and harder, I felt the words, perhaps because at one time in my life I was this woman. Great great poem

[Dream Weaver]

Yep, the last lines gave it away, but O' what a great description
in any shade of lipstick.... ;)

[CrochetRie]

"Ouch", is right- Sometimes the truth hurts and you so eloquently get to the point. Love the last stanza- This one definitely brings it home!

[-Scribe in Style-]

Love the representation and link between soul and lips etc.. Beautiful

[JasmineNecole]

that last line caught me.

[MS. BABy]

brava....i love the symbolism....