Kitty’S Kisses.

Kiss of death;
Kiss of life;
Betraying kiss;
Kitty knew

All these kinds,
Knew them
Intimately
From that first kiss,

That coming together
Of lips,
Flesh on flesh.
The tongue

Poking through
Her lips
Surprised her,
The intrusion of it;

And no one
Had told her
Of that,
That aspect

Of kissing,
Like some small snake
Entering,
Thrusting

Into her mouth,
The juices
On her tongue,
Some kind of dance

Between his tongue
And hers,
Prodding,
Poking,

She wanted at first
To gag;
To push out
The invader,

Just let
The lips brush
And touch,
That childlike

Innocence,
That pictured kiss
She had from painting,
From art,

From watching
Others kissing,
Never the tongues
Mentioned,

Never once spoken
Of to her
By those
Who ought to

Have said.
The kiss known now.
The tongue known.
The intrusion

Welcomed
Into the mouth
Like the prodding snake
That entered

Elsewhere
Years later,
And that
Surprised her, too,

Like something
Unlikely,
Like something
You didn’t do.