Kiss of Death

he kissed her once

when she wasn't looking

just a peck on the cheek

and the pin dropped.

the casket buried,

the funeral costs paid.

the tears shed,

and the tears buried with

the bones.

death kissed her then

and hasn't kissed her since

even though

she keeps seeing him everywhere

in the body of

her dead lover

traversing the streets

as if he had never been

in a hit and run.

it got to the point where

she searched for death

looked for him in empty cans

and glash shards

looked for him in the smoke

of a still-burning cigarrette.

all she wanted

was one last kiss

for her and her alone.

no more tears

no more pain.

no more seeing dead men

wherever she went.

no more illness,

no more sick.

no more bills,

no more debt.

she wished for death.

but death had moved on,

had left her behind

and to this day,

she still lives,

kissing every person she finds

hoping that one of them

will be the end.