MONIQUE A. GORDON

“What Really Matters” by Ezekiel Zagar  

The Last Day I Wore LipStick
 Monique A. Gordon

I lightly colored my lips & cheekbones with a mixture of raspberry & terra-cotta lipsticks, then walked with my sister & my dog to Boxers’ Trail near Woodford Mansion.  A pollinated path of flora & fauna, where Ali sought out Frazier. Where a bronze Medicine Man on a horse on granite wears a horn-headdress glistens in morning light. A symbol of the Lenni Lenapi tribe, that once traveled this trail. To hunt, to fish, to plant.

Guiding us towards meditative sounds of  chirps, coos, crackling leaves. Where the wind spreading seeds yield scallions & berries, as the sun cast shadows on shades of green. Twists & turns lead to Laurel Hill, a lemon-yellow brick mansion overlooking the Schuylkill River.  Moss smelling water spatters, ripples, & gurgles. Where a woodpecker attracts its mate 
with hammer beats. Where a ground hog peeks from a hollowed out pine tree. Where a sundial covered in pale-green patina shows noon. 

That was the last day, I wore lipstick. Trading it for lip balm.  Avoiding chafing from a face mask. Turning lipstick into oil paint for canvas.