The Kiss

Let’s spend a moment to think about kissing, about how it must have been an odd thing to do when kissing first began. I mean, it’s such an obviously sexual act. We take our two sets of labia, put them together, open our mouths, and start probing with tongues into the other’s oral cavity. It’s so obviously a substitute for the sex act—putting genitals together with the male entering the equivalent of a mouth, entering as far as possible, probing, probing, and finally ejaculating. In the history of the kiss, until just recently, anyway, the kiss would have been initiated by the male, and the lips would have remained closed until the male forced the female’s lips apart and inserted his tongue. The female would not have reciprocated with her tongue, only allowed the entry of the male’s tongue, but only after a fierce battle. But now, in our age of sexual enlightenment, of sexual equality, the female not only does her share of probing, she often is the initiator of the kiss, just as it is with coitus. Next time I see a long passionate kiss on screen, I will have to think about what it parallels—cunnilingus (from the Latin, cunnus, vulva, and lingere, to lick), where the male puts his lips to her other set of lips and probes with tongue; and fallatio (from the Latin, fellare, to suck), where the woman opens her mouth and allows the insertion of the male’s penis. All these acts, including the act of kissing, are attempts to break down the separation of two people, an attempt to unify two people physically as well as psychically. To enter another’s body. Wow, how similar that is to the act of stabbing someone with a knife or sword. Love/hate, sex/murder. Odd combinations.

There, that should prompt a comment or two, that is, if anyone is actually reading the drivel I write. Possible readers, see the little red "comment" at the bottom of this post? If you click on it, a box opens for you to let me know you're actually there, to tell me you enjoy my drivel, or to tell me how much you hate my drivel. I'd love to hear from you, whether it's love or hate.