first kiss i hadn't expected it. was supposed to be a simple embrace. you, most cherished soul, precious beyond daily life and the burdens of mind, and i. a simple embrace of gratitude, of sanctuary, of celebration. then nose brushed ear, the sweet tickle of life awakened; we turned, one and the same, gasping the same rush of air each from the other's throat and our lips, unintended, found home... you fill my mouth cascades of you, flowing like torrents through shattered dams, our tongues dance like skaters, a practiced pair, melting more ice with each turn and landing, cutting through layers beyond pain. i cannot breathe. i am all breath. and we speak into each other as if our spirits have suddenly burned off the bulky clothing of misbegotten convention. our bodies, superfluous yet central, arc into one another, disappearing in the onslaught of motion and stillness. and the world turns around us, one and the same. your eyes in-form mine, marveling as two wide mouths, and our teeth clink, toasting this holy conversion of finding, of selves, one and the same now drunk on the wine of this oh so thirsty communion. making love, oh, yes, but sometimes love does the making, from inside out. making Us. so now we rest, catching our separate breaths, inches away, a moment removed, and gaze, too expectant to be stunned, surprised only by this lightness of being, this now cleansed solitude, this new world conceived, each into the other. and kiss again.