Braced for Love

He remembered the first girl he’d kissed at school,

how their braces had clashed, how they’d

laughed and then got that serious look and

got on with the business of kissing determinedly.

Well, his teeth didn’t need bracing now but his

body did, as did this woman’s, and after so many

kiss-less years, the yearning was

palpable as mouth leant towards mouth and their

chair-wheels clashed with the same sound as

brace on brace, and for a moment they

stared into each other’s eyes, then laughed and

got on with the determined business of kissing seriously.