A kiss.The first kiss. The last kiss.

What exactly does a kiss communicate? A simple kiss can be taken so many different ways. Simple ways, elaborate ways, passionate ways, welcoming ways, friendly ways.
It’s hard to comprehend how we depend on such an idea; the simple touching of lips to another’s, to a hand, to a cheek. Benjamin Franklin’s ingeniously simple quote “To each his own” could apply to this accurately: How do you interpret a kiss?
A soft kiss, a rough kiss, a gentle kiss, a hard kiss. The first kiss, the last kiss. A kiss.
Imagine you’re on the waterside with your love, and they lean in to take hold of a precious lip-lock. A reaction? Heart races? Blunt annoyance? What is it about a kiss that appeases the mind or causes it to stumble?
Many consider such a thing to be a shock, while others may treasure it.
The first kiss; a thousand horses pacing inside you, the embracement of that single moment, that writing in history; a remarkable feeling indeed. The first might always be remembered to be the most precious, the most adored and not easily forgotten, no matter how long or how short. Is that the beginning? But what was it to you, it was, just a kiss wasn’t it? A peck, a smooch: a simple touch, a passionate touch, an innovative touch. The chemical reaction; It leaves you craving does it not? Or does it shun you?
The last kiss; the temptation to worry, the end of love; a remorseful, wrenching feeling indeed. You loved that one, but now it’s over. “The last kiss was the kiss I’ll always remember.” But why is this kiss different from the last? It’s still simply a touch, isn’t it?
Over-rated is a term used by the blind.
A kiss is just as much a means of communicating as the gift of speech. It is not to be taken lightly, it can bring joy, dismay. A kiss will give you wings, or tear them off. There’s always a good and bad to a kiss, a simple, under-rated kiss.
You kiss the one you love until the one you love is lost. Then, again you will kiss the one you loved, but does it feel right? Why does a kiss seem wrong with another, and precious to one? A touch on the lips with a lover, and a touch on the lips with a friend. A kiss communicates joy and pain; Communicates trust, passion, kindness. Communicates desire, heartache, lust. Why does a kiss sometimes mean nothing, or everything? It’s just a kiss after all.
No.
It’s never just a kiss; it’s a balance.



Nathan Malec
March 12, 2008

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