First Kiss(es)

         First Kiss(es)
I will not forget the chafe of your lips,
your skin’s sandpapery texture,
or the doe-eyed nervousness
as you brush my cheek with your lips,
before quickly turning away,
a face as red as a forbidden apple.
I long for a real taste, but
turning away to stare into my lap,
my resolve falters,
Your hand, clammy and lukewarm clasps mine so tightly,
our knuckles white with unreleased passion
Altogether a sloppy, dry, imperfect moment,
but it’s OUR moment;
Frozen forever,
Crystallized amid the fat babies with wings
and swells of violins from invisible orchestras.
You rest your forehead on my temple,
I feel the brush of your eyelashes as they softly close,
your lips, cracked and red from the cold winter air,
mere millimeters from mine.
Inhaling my courage deeply,
I turn to you and my voice comes out a shaky gasp,
“Can I help you with that?”
Our eyes meet,
Pulses pound in percussive unison;
Breathless,
Dizzying,
Exhilarating,
a BOLT of lightning
and then we float away….