"The Ocean" by Mark Barry... 2 of 3

The Ocean

It’s all in the kiss, they say

Your first kiss was slightly awkward 

In that crowded Soho bar

Jabbing to the beat of “Owner of a Lonely Heart”

Then days later 

Eyeing grown-over initials on tree trunks in my local park

You took me again

And suddenly your kiss was like the warmth of the sun 

I was scared too, wasn’t I, as I always am

Should I go deeper into this bear-pit of open, this huge vulnerable

Find structure, solace, something to hold on to

When love offers no peace, no safety net, not really 

And even now, even here in your arms at our friend’s party

Where everyone knows us

I’m like some boat bobbing up and down on the vastness of the Sea

Water lapping at the perfectly polished veneer beneath

Soothing all on board above

But scaring me witless

I’ll sink, I’ll sink, I swear I will – and I’ll drown

And I never want to be out there again

Drowning, sinking…

So I lean over, licks my lips in invite, and dive in regardless

And our two mouths collide into a sort of familiar storm

Into this crazy foolish falling and the soft cherish

And the lovely calm afterwards 

I knew it the first time our lips met

In was in your face and mine 

As we pulled back and sipped on our drinks casually 

As if nothing much had just happened

It’s all in the kiss, they say

And yours is the Ocean…

Number 2 of 3 Poems

"Arc Of A LOve Affair"
by

Mark Barry and Paris Shah
March/April 2006