To touch with the lips…that is a kiss. It can be the most bonding gesture of love or the most intimate of betrayals. A kiss on the forehead , the lips, each cheek, a hand – endearment, love, greeting, and deference. As Nikki Giovanni reminded us “love is kissing you good night no matter how young or old you are.
Ah, the kiss good night, whether you’re padding in on pajama-ed feet and tipping on your toes for that goodnight treat or fumbling with your nerves and expectations at the close of a rendezvous. A kiss can send you… reeling into space or to your bloody death.
A kiss is the act of alliance and the symbol of friendship. Indeed, whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips1. Such a powerful thing! Dunbar’s Phantom kiss, Poe’s kiss on the brow, Judas’ kiss, the Brezhnev/Honecker brudderkuss – such weighty busses.
The kiss of the flesh leaves a hunger for more; the kiss of an object…the need for loyalty. Rough unyielding, soft and sweet…a lock to forever confine a moment to its place.
A kiss is less likely random and most often delivered with intention. Yet it’s always up for interpretation, rating or judgement. It can be an act of madness, rage, love or compliance. But it is rare that a kiss is just a kiss.
Poet, writer, and MFA candidate Jeanna Ray spends most of her time experimenting with new ways to express herself through writing, poetry, and other forms of creative expression. She has a B.A. in Communication from Hampton University and M.A. degree in Professional Writing from New England College. Additionally, she is a licensed Ayurvedic esthetician in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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