a snake made of icegems
and milksmoke that coils
and dances in the space
between us

the only sound:warm breath
swallowed by ravenous peppermint
dragonflies that wait above my mouth
to snatch the air from junglehot lungs
and use it to spin arctic cocoons
too cold to swallow

but i bite down anway, battling
against a swarm of snow-lace hornets

and then you smile-
cheshire chapped lip grin
sending clove-warm mist
to choke glacial worms so
that they hiss and spit and shatter
into creamsicle puffs of laughter
before we kiss