For Sheri

For Sheri on her birthday:

“Did you get
a good-morning
kiss?”

I ask.

“No, I don’t think so.”

You reply,
even though I
know that’s not true.

Some couples won’t
speak for years
because of some
small lie.

So, how do
I feel?

Like a kid
who just heard

“No school - it’s
a snow day today.”

Like a person
who reached into
his jacket pocket
on the first day
of fall,

and pulled out
two twenty-dollar
bills.

Those people just
think they have
all the luck.

I know better
though,

because it’s
been over
thirty years,

and

just one kiss
is still
not enough.