Lipstick Kiss

I liked to watch my mother
putting on her lipstick.
I'd line up the golden bullets
of lush pinks and reds
on her dressing table
while she pouted at the mirror,
smacked her lips together then said,
'There. That's me done.'

My mother never went anywhere
without a lip-sticked kiss,
so for her final journey I painted it on.
'There, Mum,' I whispered
as I kissed ice-cold lips.
'That's you done.'