Meghan Lamb lives with her husband in St. Louis where she teaches creative writing at Washington University. Her work can also be found in The Collagist, DIAGRAM, and Neccessary Fiction.
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When I was 11, a friend showed me
some stupid magazine story
which analyzed your personality
based on your lipstick shape.
I looked at all your lipsticks in their
gold metallic tubes inside your
storage case lined in
gold filigree.
All your lipsticks were sweet
shades of rose, rounded
evenly on both sides
like little fingers.
The article said
this meant you were
domestic and lovable
stubborn over little things.
All my lipsticks are
tapered as closely as possible to
their original shapes.
The article said this meant
I was quiet and self-conscious.
I always wanted to try on
your lipstick, but
I didn’t.
I knew I would
just mess up the tip.