What lips my lips have kissed, or not, and why
After Edna St. Vincent Millay
by Emily Polson
What lips my lips have kissed, or not, and why:
the man outside West 4th, a second date,
then T— I kissed goodbye at bus three-eight;
it’s something I’d always wanted to try
an action that helped unravel a lie.
Church leaders, they told women just to wait
for God’s hand would direct us to our mate,
so B—and K— and M— all passed me by.
The wants of a teen girl were Eden’s fruit,
I kissed them in my head, confessed the sin;
my lust had cut the tree where Jesus hung.
When I was young there was no way to win,
at summer camp I wore my one-piece suit
but now my waist J— touches in the sun.
“Ackee” by Christopher Brown
Emily Polson is a book editor and Pushcart-nominated writer whose work has appeared in HAD, Pidgeonholes, Salt Hill Journal, and elsewhere. She is pursuing an MFA at the City College of New York, where she also teaches first-year writing.