That One Kiss

“Would you have wanted me to kiss you?” he asked Behind the screen, she trembled Teasing was her best defense To calm down her beating heart She typed… “I let you hold my hand… what did that tell you?” How could she know? That the 15 year old boy at camp The one who had pursued her relentlessly Had awakened in her stranger fluttering sensations Throbbing realities of a feeling She hardly understood How could she know That the 45 year old man he’d become The one behind the screen Had never forgotten her Still wanted her After all these years... “It thought you wanted to cross the street," he shot back. “A sense of humor? I don’t remember that,” she countered. Still unsure…with feelings raw They joked Back and forth A volley of questions Comments Cut from the fabric of their hearts Reconnecting Picking up where they'd left off Unresolved questions Tentative players In this game Typing away Hearts aflame… “Yes, you should have kissed me... Now I will never know what it would be like”…. Her fingers flew across the keyboard Serving the fireball of a comment That had been searing her heart All these years Why hadn’t he kissed her? Heart pounding…she now waited for his response The man she never forgot For a moment They were back at camp Summer sun Sand and fun Beautiful Mediterranean beach Sizzling heat She 13….he 15 What had they known about love? About passion? “I didn’t know how you’d react… I wasn’t man enough." What could she say to this man? Her first love? The one whose hand she had held Behind her brother’s back at campfire… After all these years… She’d found him After wondering why She had her answers He’d never forgotten her That kiss….. Hung between them Throbbing with pain Trembling with promise Now driving them both insane… What would it have been like That kiss…. Would it have changed....destiny? Sealed their young love in a forever pact? Now…they’d never know A chapter they could not reopen Perhaps, it was never meant to be But how those memories had stayed To haunt them in the night What might it have been like Had they shared That gentle sweet Wispy and tender Light as a young lover's dream... That ONE kiss…. Eileen Manassian Ghali