as the sun rises each morning
her hand slowly reaches
into her bedside drawer
searching for a face
to flaunt that day

she was told
it is unsafe for a girl
to walk the earth unguarded
unarmed to face exposure
to unknown threats

surgically and precisely
she plasters on
a new face for a new day
a new shield to protect her barest form
from polluted air and harmful rays

as the moon reveals itself each night
so does she
picking and peeling
parts of a face that were
plastered on too tightly

with each new face
unknowingly, she strips
more and more
parts of raw skin
that were truly hers