Here's What a Kiss Contains



Here's what a kiss contains:
Love letters written on the back
     Of your bedroom window blinds,
     So you'll see them when you go to sleep.
A bottle full of stolen breaths,
     Caught in my throat by the net of your grin.
Names I'll whisper to you:
     My lover, my spark
     My gentle Kuan Yin.
Coffee stains in a notebook of poems
     Written first in my head,
     Then on your skin,
     And at last on paper,
     Preserved only because your flesh won't hold them.

Here's what a kiss contains:
A little bit of madness
     The kind that makes me want
     Wings drawn in ballpoint on my back
     Because with you and a bit of artistry,
     I think I could fly
     Or at least glide, for a little while.
Five thousand fireflies.
Two starlings fluttering in the dark.
You, me, a plus sign and a question mark,
     Because you can't cage this in arithmetic.
     Because when I solve our equation,
     I want to keep the answer for myself,
     Bound to my wrist with a bracelet
     Braided from your hair,
     And sealed with a small brass lock.

Here's what a kiss contains:
Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Two hearts, beating in unison,
     In the quiet of the dark.

Click here to download an mp3 audio recording of this poem for just 50 cents.

Comments

J.C. Montgomery (not verified)
J.C. Montgomery's picture

I want to say so much about how this poem affects me, but I can't quite put it into words. Just know I am moved. Beautiful Gabriel. Beautiful.

SorchaRose
SorchaRose's picture
User offline. Last seen 1 week 2 days ago. Offline
Joined:
Apr 20 2009

This is wonderful. I love the fireflies; they've always evoked emotion in me. Maybe I was a firefly in a previous life, a life which was shattered early on as I careened into an oncoming car windshield (or it careened into me).

All that aside, I really did love it and the fireflies. Just everything.
-Christina

Char
Char's picture
User offline. Last seen 10 weeks 13 hours ago. Offline
Joined:
Oct 30 2009

This is the poem my heart has always wanted to write, but that's not one of the ways I'm expressive. Glad to see it made it out somewhere. Smile Thank you.

T.S. Eliot (not verified)
T.S. Eliot's picture

This isn't a poem.
It's a list.

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