By alison
Date: 19 February 1998

ring in the new year

ring in the new year,
kiss a stranger.
that's the way the tradition goes.

so here i am
union square
in the city-by-the-bay.
strangers abound.
pushing, shoving,
warm breaths on the the back of my neck.
hands, elbows, bodies
touching me in places
they'd never dare
if they were sober.

surrounded on every side
by multitudes of unknown people,
yet i am still alone.
my mind drifts to you,
how we've drifted apart.
distance makes the heart grow fonder
so what the hell happened?

i feel as if
we don't even 
know each other anymore.
we've collided
just as randomly
as any two people
in union square.

ring in the new year, 
kiss a stranger.
that's the way the tradition goes...
but as it turns out, 
you're the only stranger
i want to kiss.