First Kiss.

So,

my first kiss 
occurred in the recent past.

There, I said it.

(We can discuss

what took so long

at another time,

if you really want.)

But really.

There were literally

years of anticipation

leading up to this event.

And in the end,

it turned out just fine.

It was good.

It was nice.

But there's a reason I'm telling you this.

And it's this:

everything has been different since.

I'm a little surprised at myself,
since that sounds very overdramatic
and chick flickish.
And we all know
those are things I hate.

But it's true.

It's like I was let in on a secret
that I hadn't known I was being kept from.

Now I can look at
every song,
every movie,
every story that humans tell,
and say,
"Oh yeah.
Okay.
I see."

Everything makes more sense.

I left behind a type of naivety

that I had always carried with me.

And now I'm more of a person.
There's more to me.

A whole world of relatability

has opened up before me.

Even though
I might have liked to kiss a boy
a bit lot sooner,
I really value
that I was old enough
to appreciate how much
that one little moment
helped me to grow up.

Growing up is so sweet
and so satisfying,

because the way it happens to you

is yours
and yours alone.