When you've a choice at the kissing booth,
Choose the girl who sees the truth.
Not the bleachy one with chest so huge
And cheeks disguised with globs of rouge,
But the other one with quiet sighs,
Who knows you with her large, brown eyes.
You ask me why? My friend, I'll tell
This story that I know so well.
One night, at this amusement park,
Where lights and noise restrain the dark,
My young friends dared a younger me
To buy a kiss from the cleavaged-V.
I paid my dollar, stood up front,
Was rudely shoved, and with a grunt,
I found myself before this girl-
The plain one whose hair didn't curl.
I wasn't really thrilled at this,
But I'd paid my dollar: I'd get a kiss.
And as I touched her lips with mine,
I felt myself blown into time.
I saw then, on a rubbled street,
All dusty and with bandaged feet
The man that I had once become.
I even recognized him some.
I knew his thirst and felt his pain,
Remembered thoughts of falling rain,
Of streets upon which water ran,
Of oceans lapping shores of sand,
Of lakes with fish and grass and birds,
And rivers where God's voice was heard.
So when he heard the sound, he thought,
"My poor mind's ear has heard a drop."
But there it was again, so real
He found he could not longer feel
The throbbing feet, the aching head,
The bleeding lips and skin burned red.
Beneath an old-time gutter spout,
Past rains had worn the cement out
And made a kind of little cup
It somehow managed to fill up.
One sip, his heart began to lust,
One sip to cure his throat of dust.
An old street light, a wad of paper,
A tin can lid bent as a dipper,
He carefully dribbled every bit
Into the globe and stoppered it.
Relief suffused his thirsty self
To know that he possessed such wealth.
"Another day's survival won,
Parched mind's insanity undone!"
Secure of his luck and with delight,
He stood to contemplate the night.
He wet, once more, his lips gone dry,
And flinched to hear a weakened cry.
"Help me, please?" So quiet and clear,
He knew the voice must be quite near.
He hid his treasure and went to find
The body this voice must be inside.
His fruitful search 'neath fresh debris
Unearthed a face new-known to me.
Legs trapped beneath a fallen stone,
Pale face from where her brown eyes shone.
In agony, she searched our face
For recognition, just a trace.
She seemed to feel me live in him;
Her eyes then looked away.... grew dim.
No second thoughts for selfish needs,
He shocked us with a Christian deed.
He left, returning with his prize,
Awakened her, and with his eyes,
Showed his intention with this gift.
He let her drink all that she wished.
Then realization came to me;
"I'm watching my humanity!"
Time reeled again, the kiss was over.
I turned away, looked past my shoulder,
And winked at the girl with quiet sighs
Who smiled in return with her large, brown eyes.