Always asked   politely  if   she could   a) hold  his hand, or   b) kiss him
Melissa Hotchkiss

posted Dec 4, 2007

But once    she didn’t  ask   at  all    once   she   kissed  him    on the cheek without
asking     politely           (  usually         a  humid   month )
politely     asked  if         she  could    hold   his     hand,       or kiss him             the  bench swayed  as  he said    thank you

Thank   you            for            understanding,  (  not a kiss   )    thank you
     this  could  have  been  a  disaster        he said     her    body    suddenly
              –  above,   across   the     road     –  then    she,   thank   god         sees   herself
at   a     distance,     sees     him          gesturing      –       thanking   her    for understanding   why  she  doesn’t  belong

this     not     belonging

not      a        sudden   concept    as

                        other things    can be   this

© 2007 Melissa Hotchkiss

Melissa Hotchkiss’s first book of poems, Storm Damage, was published by Tupelo Press in 2002. Her poetry has appeared in The Marlboro Review, Four Way Reader, The New York Times, Free Inquiry, LIT, 7 Carmine, Cortland Review, 3rd bed, Gathering of the Tribes, Lyric Poetry Review, Upstairs at Duroc, Diner, and Heliotrope. Her prose has appeared in The New York Times and The New Virginia Review.

She is one of the editors of the poetry journal Barrow Street, and co-directed the Barrow Street Reading Series for eight years. She lives in New York City with her dog Jesse.