Photography © Luis Lazaro Tijerina

 

Face Shop

I used the crayon called Peach
to color my face when I was young
but found it strange
the color was nothing like a peach
or my skin,
it was like yellow
swirling the drain
saying goodbye.
I tried to build a face
tried to be a shop of
blue sky cerulean lemon yellow and every shade of
lupine purple
I tried to make myself a door
to something bigger than myself
not melting wax turning
naked baby mice pink,
not an opening so much
as a door, closing
so that you’d want in
while I kept you out

 

Bernadette Martonik lives in Seattle, Washington. Her work can be found in Pithead Chapel, The Manifest-Station, The Extraordinary Project, Typishly and elsewhere.

Luis Lázaro Tijerina was born in Salina, Kansas. Mr. Tijerina has a Master of Art degree in history, concentration being military history and diplomacy. He is a published author of military theory, short stories, essays and poetry. Mr. Tijerina resides in Vermont.