our
pleasant
black
faces
are pressed together
under a veil
of chalky peach
that drapes over your sleeping spine
and my
shivering shoulders
to protect us
from open air
and honesty—
Every day we dress
like dolls
with cherry cheeks
and nodding heads
because you are a daisy
and I am a tulip
and we
live only
to be
seen
“The Female Gaze” by Angie Hoover-Hillhouse
Artwork: Spectrum by Lucille Malkia Roberts
The Show Tell Project 