The Invention of Kissing
by Jeffrey Hermann
ou have to go way back. Our very early selves. Simple lives but hard ones. We hadn’t invented much of anything yet. The kiss was played off as an accident, but, c’mon—everyone knew. Everyone loved the idea. Everyone loved kissing.
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Author's Note
This one came out fairly quickly, which is unusual. The title came first, and I just felt drawn to the idea–how something so common and fundamental could have been “invented.” Someone must have been the first, right? And I thought it was kind of funny, too. I didn’t know where it would go, but I had a feeling it would be a short piece. Partly because, for me, the title does a lot of work, it summoned a history in my mind before I’d written the first line. I really like how this turned out. I like that it’s playful, like the best kissing is playful.
Jeffrey Hermann's work has appeared in Okay Donkey, Passages North, Heavy Feather, Wigleaf, and other publications. His first full-length collection of prose poetry and flash fiction will be published by ELJ Editions in 2026. Though less publicized, he finds his work as a father and husband to be rewarding beyond measure.
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