I’m not sure exactly how it started yesterday – but one of the poets tweeting around Twitter used the word “smooch,” or perhaps “smoochie.” Then another used “smooch” but added a hashtag, #smooch. And then it erupted. All kinds of innocent bystanders were dragged or jumped into the fray.

By the time it ended, if indeed it did end, something else had happened.

The New Year’s Smooch

By @poemsandprayers, @llbarkat, @annkroeker, @arestlessheart, @jamesrls, @shrinkingcamel, @doallas, @katdish and @TchrEric, with a little editing help from @gyoung9751.

The dictionary says
it started with smutch, a
corruption of smudge, but
somewhere along the line
of a lover’s lips, a smudge
became a smooch.

Smooch is the funnest word.
Smooch, smooch, smooch!
Like chocolate
for the mouth.
Impossible not to start saying it
(smoochsmoochsmooch).
Hey, let’s try to start a
smooch trend!
Again: Hey, let’s try to start a
smooch trend!

A smooch trend!
I’m in!
And of course there’s
that gnarly hashtag
#smooch.

#smooch …aw man…that is
sooooo smooch!
It would be awfully
fun to see “smooch” pass
throughout Twitter. New
Year’s Eve is the perfect
night for it! #smooch
*Smooch!* Pass it on! #smooch
My lips are tired but happy.

I expect to see
this peak in “Trending Topics”
at 11:59:45 tonight. #smooch

New Year’s Eve is perfect night!
lol if we’re awake, YES! #smooch
*Smooch!* Pass it on! #smooch
What fun! #smooch
Why wait? #smooch

Now wait a minute.
Who started this craze? #smooch
I think it might have
been my aunt. She always
used to ask me for a *smooch*

I say we ask a
poet to make a #smooch poem of
this tomorrow.
Whad’ya say, poet? Wouldn’t
this be fun material for a
TweetSpeak poem?
It may bring more smooches than
your Tweetdeck could ever hold.
Then what will you do? #smooch

We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

Yes, yes! Do it! #smooch
I am fairly sure that @MarshallJonesJr
just put me on his
church list because of
all this smooching. #smooch

I need to go #smooch
my baby now! Too funny!

It was surely your aunt!
Does she tweet? Oh, and
I love the idea of a
smooch poem. It’s so
unexpected, it’ll delight. #smooch

My aunt does not tweet, but
she is the smoochiest artist
you’d ever wanna
meet #smooch

Jim: Appears the grandkids needed a treat.
To the rocket donut shop!
Jim! I do believe you forgot
the most important item on
today’s agenda #smooch
Well, so, did you smooch
them? Grandkids love that
kind of thing #smooch

This is the first time I’ve
stayed fully engaged in
a Twitter conversation. Who
knew it would start with
a #smooch?
Smooch has a way of
growing on a person #smooch.
And smooches have a way of
Overwhelming groundswells.
It’s very smoochie!
Smooches are quite engaging.
Or you are in need of a
little tea and sympathy. #smooch

Not at all. I’m greatly
amused by all this
New Year’s Eve #smooch-ing.
Smooch to you all. #smooch!

Well, my new phone is
beeping alerts that I have
things to do other than
tweet- #smooching
so I guess I’ll have to
excuse myself.

So, what will it be?
Will the spiritual giants
of the world #smooch?

What the aych are you guys
talking about?? #Smooch?

Smoocher #2: A shrinking camel!
Um, well, you caught
us #smooching. As I
recall, my aunt started it.
Okay, it started here, when Oregon
wine said thanks for
all the tweetie love that
you pour out here. #smooch
At which juncture, I sent her
a #smooch. It seemed like the thing to do.
And then, well, one thing led to
another. And then you showed up. #smooch

Smoocher #3: I’m hardly ever
on Twitter, but
I happened to see you
admiring the word “smooch.”
So I jumped in. #smooch

Smoocher #2: This has revived your
Twitter life, no doubt #smooch

Smoocher #3: Is that a fundraiser concept? #smooch
Well, as you can
See, I’m ignoring my phone’s
insistence that I have a
to-do list that needs
attention in order to continue #smooch
I have to track
down the vacuum. It was a
lot more fun to #smooch

Smoocher #2: I’m going to go
read now too. Let others have a
chance to do more #smooch ing. Happy to-doing.

Oh, my, said the camel. I
suppose it is
apropos for
New Years Eve.

Camel! Now, now, you forgot the
hashtag, or were you
being clandestine about
your #smooch opinion?

All right, all right. #smooch!
Happy New Year.

There you go @shrinkingcamel.
Don’t you feel better now? #smooch

Poet: I’ve now captured all
the #smooch tweets. Watch
for tomorrow!

All? I suspect not. Midnight
will bring more than
you ever imagined #smooch

To #smooch,
perchance to dream
of lips’ light touch.
At stroke of midnight
it’s fireworks!
Who pays for
romance must needs
pay for #smooch.

Smoocher #2: Oh that was a
good one, Maureen! #smooch

@katdish: Where did this
#smooch thing get started?

I came in late but Smoocher #2
gives #smooching answer.
Start at top and go
backwards. And pick
up another #smooch along
the way. Need to get dinner.
Plan to pick up some
#smooching later.

“Start at top and go
backwards”. Very fine #smooch
instructions

My New Year’s resolution is to
get my #smooch on.

Geez. Leave for a
while and all of a sudden
@llbarkat @Doallas @poemsandprayers
are all talking about #smooching.
(What am I missing?)

Related poem: @poemsandprayers wrote her own #smooch poem; you can read it here: Just Say the Word.