they ask why i don’t wear makeup – Harriet Carter

By August 24, 2018 March 28th, 2019 2018 runner up

they ask why i don’t wear makeup

copper sundays bleed concrete
stilettos
and a ten minute
pōhutukawa road
they hide
behind petroleum compliments
and leg-appreciating honks
no hate here
they cherish both uniform
and red church dresses
shame burns my chest
i have cactus eyes now
a calculated deafness no longer silences
and opprobrious admiration echoes

catcalling;
‘caterwauling
women
only’

the sign says

male ears shouldn’t have to listen
cradled lullabies choke
———-bruised words;
private school brotherhoods
wear ignorance like lynx
‘only desperate liars lie here’
don’t cry
wolf
whistle
i won’t
crying smudges eyeliner


Harriet Carter
Year 13
Northcote College

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