kiss me

birthmark

Both of your shoulders

covered with light

brown skin

that I wish I did not

kiss

when we were alone

together.

They are like two

conquering hands

clutching you

always—

not

letting go.

It has been there years

before I came

to you.

When will I ever

rid of

the light brown

skin, I would like to

get a thin white

knife

and

pierce your

soft plump skin

down to its

firm flesh.

I envy the

mark

that has

rested

around your

shoulders since your

birth.

tips on handling her

So let’s say you’ve got her in your arms–yada, yada–now. But I’ve got to say it’s just half of the road. Once you’ve got her, you still have to think hard to keep her to you. You’ve got to guarantee her stay in your arms once she’s there.

Fine, I’m not the best person to give tips on this but I guess I have a couple of tricks in my sleeve in how to keep her on me. To all my close friends who have a hint or two about my love life, I guess they have a picture of how I handle my girl. I’m really proud to say that we’ve been going out for quite some time now. About three years.

Of course, we’ve got our ups and downs. A lot of downs, really. But by the end of the day, she’s still with me and I’m quite thankful of this. Well, out of this gratitude, I decided to pay forward by sharing some of the many things I’ve been considering in keeping her. They may not be the best tips but I guess they’ve done me some good. I suppose it’s worth reading:

1. Stay Sweet. Very sweet. I guess girls have this tendency of remembering your “sweetness level”. Whenever it comes up! They swell with joy. But whenever it comes down, they panic. I guess this is where the small fights happen. They are really sensitive, these girls. So try matching up with their sensitivity and stay sweet!

2. Buy Her Things. If you can afford, try buying her cute things and stuff. If you can’t, still, try buying her cute things and stuff. Believe me when I say, she deserves the best! I’ve done some crazy budgeting once in a while for my girlfriend. I actually skipped meals just to buy her something. And you know what? Whenever I see her happy and appreciative about it, I can say that it’s worth every cent!

3. Notice The Small Details. It’s another case of sensitivity. The way she wears her hair, her clean hands, her new outfit, her stylish hairdo! Even her new little earrings! Surprise her with the fact that you actually care about how she looks and smells! Of course, you’ve got to be cool in surprising her. Don’t give her the impression of you being an obnoxious prick who notices her in every detail. Just keep it simple and cool.

4. Admire Her Smile. For me, her smile is the best cure to every depressing spell. It’s the one that brightens your days and silences your nights. It’s your sun, moon and stars. Seriously. If you don’t feel like this about her smile, then I can say there’s something odd about that.

5. Write Her Notes. Girls usually like it. Especially when she gets to keep the little love notes. Text messages are also good, but it’s better if you make it stick or in other words, make it memorable! On my experience, the cornier the better. The cheesier the worse. There’s a difference between corny and cheesy. On my dictionary, corny means cute and cheesy means annoying. I’m not really sure about that but that’s how I figure it out.

6. Greet Her At Least Twice A Day. Yup! One in the morning and one in the evening. But it’s better if you greet her more. Make her feel that you’re there and that you care. Don’t be annoying. Be cute, though.

7. Nod On The Right Times. Like I said, make her feel that you’re there. Listen to her and tell her that you do listen to her. Girls usually likes to talk and share stories. If you want to keep her, then you better start to be a good listener. Of course, you should also show that you’ve got some sensual feedbacks for her.

8. Keep Her In A Good Mood. Like my good cousin DaveNorth always say, “Keep her happy!” There is of course a simple logic to it. “Keep her happy to keep her!” It’s that simple, really. Of course, you can’t expect her to stay being in a good mood all the time. But, of course, being the caring and supporting partner, you’ve got to let her know that you’re always there no matter what. In good or bad times, you’re ready to accept her.

9. Steal A Kiss Or Two. It’s self-explanatory. You’ll both like it. I promise.

10. Remind Her. Remind her of the first time she said “yes”. Remind her of the first kiss you gave her. Remind her the first time she cried and how you made her feel okay. Remind her that you’ll always be there no matter how fat and ugly she could be within the next three years. Remind her of the promise you gave of how you’ll take care of her and protect her from every one who dares to offend her. Most importantly, remind her…

you love her.

the kiss

Bottle on the
table, half-filled
with water.

Thirsty Amy
approaches the
bottle.

Her lips touch
the opening and
she drinks.

Jim shows up
smiles. She has
kissed him through

The bottle of
clear mineral
water.

Structuralism Notes:
The structure of this poem is somehow derived from the example of John Donne’s metaphysical poem The Flea. In this case, the conceit is actually the bottle of water in the table that both Amy and Jim partook of. Despite the differences of the form, there are still structural similarities like the male’s will to dominate the female and the phallic symbol which is the bottle also suggest meaning to the poem.