on a train to a bar i met a young man who sensed i was lost.
"can i kiss you?"
he laughed. "pardon?"
"can i kiss you? not a french kiss, just a regular one."
"OK," he said.

.

on a bus to sacramento i met a young man who was very quiet.
"can i kiss you?"
he watched me for a long time before answering.
"hmmm, OK," he said.
"not here," i said. "once we get to town."

we sat with our knees touching until we got to town. i took him to a bar and gave him drugs to eat and smell. the following morning, squinting at the daylight on a dirty city street, he said,
"hey, you never kissed me."
"yeah i did," i said. "what you felt last night was my kiss."

.

the truth is,