The Bravery Implicit in a Kiss

This piece is from his work "The Sixth Selke Cycle", one of ten cycles he wrote to a young woman with whom he carried on a torrid long-distance affair, prior to his involvement with his second wife. The lady herself actually read this work on one of his podcasts last year, a unique position for a former muse.

The Bravery Implicit in a Kiss

a kiss is an act of courage. purging
us of our inhibitions, acknowledging
truths we dare not face, but will be glad
to embrace when the lights are off
and we no longer fear the intimacy
of a delicate crush of lips, sealing
words in and letting emotions out
in a gout of flame and light that burns
our eyes so much that we must shut
them to guard against being blinded
by the luminosity of the soft membranes
that are even now touching to save
our souls from our own demons.
heroic acts begin with a kiss.


William F. DeVault. all rights reserved.