Cold Kisses

Kissing a person in from the cold

is one of the pleasures of Canada.

You simply can’t have this kind of enjoyment

in Indonesia or Malaysia, say.

Preferably, there is snow on the ground

and the person comes in, all bundled up,

whereupon he or she is seized, 

and Smack! The cold kisses commence.

The skin is chilled. It is not icy.

There’s a definite flow of blood in the veins.

But the face is superficially cold.

The kisses help all appreciate this.

Additionally, there is the rubbing of faces,

and with luck, a bit of Eskimo noses.

This happened to me as a child a few times

when my mother came home in her fur coat,

soft and cold, extremely delicious.

We greeted her at the front door:

grabbed her and planted our faces

in fur, and then looked up for the kisses.

Since then, anyone in from the cold

and kissing me has had a head start

on whatever it is she might want.