Preterite

I will remember standing on Regent street

After the gallery opening

Swaying with champagne

My teeth rattling in the chilled December air

Taxis speeding past us

And you holding my arms with your gloved hands

Kissing my cheeks, a dusting of glamour falling like glitter

Anointing the evening with your kind words

"You look great Hilaire, blue really suits you"

An early Christmas gift

Still, I feel the warmth of your grip

The brushing of your lips across my skin

And fail to grasp the shift in grammar

Which means you can no longer be conjugated in the present continuous