I know there is neither a God nor a pantheon
of gods because any higher power would have
had us intersect decades ago and I would have
been your first kiss and your first fuck and your
first true love and the father of our dozen or so
children and we would have talked the world
into oblivion, every day a new adventure of
stimulation at the lakeside or on the bayou or in
the small glade where you first opened your legs
for me as we created new words with our grinding
which became a language only we could understand
and at the end of our lives we could say my lips
never knew anything else, my mouth deserved only
yours and the gods have succeeded in their mission.

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Richard King Perkins II is a state-sponsored advocate for residents in long-term care facilities. He lives in Crystal Lake, IL, USA with his wife, Vickie and daughter, Sage. He is a three-time Pushcart nominee and a Best of the Net nominee whose work has appeared in more than a thousand publications.

Photo credit: Terri Malone