The last one I gave him
Because he never returned
Or I didn’t survive
Was caffeine laced with almond creme.

If only I had flossed my teeth
And brushed my hair,
The memory might have been

Different,
parted us more happily.

As lovers we might recall passion
When the tastes were fresh on our tongues
Meeting mid-mouth, dismissing fears of
Bacteria.

It was not the same as a peanut or chocolate
Kiss, with lasting power rolling round our mutual
Nostalgia morsels, transposing palpable yearnings
Into full-blown desire.
But it didn’t happen.

My locks were stringy
His beard unshaven.
A lackluster peck
would have to do till a strawberry milkshake
Smooch would smack us silly with desire
Until then.

Charlene James-Duguid
Amissville, Virginia