This month's poem was chosen by Andy Humphrey who says of it,
"It'd be daft to say I can relate to this poem. I can't. I'm a bloke and this is a joyously, triumphantly feminine poem. And anything that helps me understand the female psyche has to be worthy of respect! I love the language in this poem, its sense of fun, the reminiscences of scary aunts and Jackie magazine, and that undercurrent of poignancy that carries all the way through. And I love the way it draws me to the end and makes me feel that I understand."

Find out more about Julia and her work at http://www.writeoutloud.net/poets/juliadeakin



LEARNING TO KISS

Comings and goings are the danger zones:
'hello', 'goodbye', 'goodnight' and
'how about a kiss?'

Lesson one, the HORRIBLE after a clumsy hug:
some half-relative spatters you with licksmells,
lipstick, moist moustaches, whiffs of adulthood.
You learn to wash.

Lesson two, the TOLERABLE peck on the cheek:
an uncle or aunt stands still and makes you do the lot:
you learn to purse your lips and put them on course
for a dry bit of face.

Lesson three, the DESIRABLE, you teach yourself.
You glance through thickening living room air
at two-second clinches on films, study Jackie under desks
then dive in, sink or swim.

Lesson four, the SOCIAL. Unlearn all this and aim
for a not unpleasant collision of arms ears nose eyes lips.
'I quite like you,' you want to say. But don’t.