Lipstick \ Revenant \ Sun Kissed

Lipstick

It’s easier to smile
in lipstick.

Not some broad mouthed grin,
some teeth bearing reflection
of revelry.

But the small, simple,
everyday kind of smile.

The subtle uplifting of a lip
shared simply because you feel
happy. 

Revenant 

He never missed pride night,
foot tapping in time to off-key karaoke – 
not that there’s any other kind – 
as he sat in his customary booth
at the back of the bar.

Evenings surrounded by seats
filled only in memory, 
although a few always found
more solid occupants by night’s end – 
no request to share his table ever refused.

Each acquaintance, new or old, welcomed
with a smile further creasing his face
as laugh lines mixed with those
from old emotional scars – 
remnants of surviving the Nineteen Eighties.

Plague years too often spent mourning
friends whose cause of death
read lack of political will
surely cause for despair.
And yet, he smiled.

A little more peace made with his pain
each time he saw another 
unsupressed spirit make the journey – 
at times, admittedly, painfully – 
to finally reach themselves. 

Sun Kissed

Warmth bathes
chest, hips, thighs, lips.
No hidden intimacy
as the sun 
savours each body
basking in its glow.
Exposed. Offered
to affections,
sighs teased
from sensations,
and then, gasps.