IMAGINE A KISS

First published in ?

Imagine a kiss,
he says, voice thick
impeded
by an oxygen mask.
You think
of a lifetime’s
kisses, warm
wet baby kisses,
inexpert skidding-
across-the-mouth
teenage kisses,
of those
more ardent
more experienced
the man-to-woman
exploring sort.
You remember
bedtimes,
confident
husband-to-wife
Good-night, sleep-well
kisses, knowing
tomorrow would come,
until the day
tomorrow failed
and a run-of-the-mill kiss
morphed into the last,
a dead man’s
kiss.

"Such a compelling poem with its moving evocation at the scene of a husband’s death bed. The poem journeys through a lifetime of kisses, exploring through various time-lenses and within a framework marking the brief moments of that passing, ‘Imagine a kiss’, he says, voice thick/impeded/by an oxygen mask’ and ‘morphed into the last/a dead man’s/kiss’. The consequent bi-focal time-dissonance is emphasised via the lay-out, its long and short lines. A pitch-perfect poem."
Julie Sampson, Poetry Space Spring Showcase, March 2019