KISSING WILDE'S GRAVE
Kissing the glass barrier protecting the gravestone worn-out from thousands of previous kisses leaves a bitter aftertaste. “Why, thank you,” says Oscar, tipping his black, wide-brimmed hat to me. “No need for any thanks, this rectangular bell jar prevents a real kiss on your tombstone, after all,” I say, a little embarrassed. “Ah, yes,” Oscar says, his eyes tiptoeing over the glass around him, “it’s a shame, really. I liked the lipstick marks left on my stone in every shade of red. A very eccentric way of leaving tributes.” “Wish I could visit before they put this barrier to save your tombstone from erosion. Kissing this glass instead feels like a first, half-kiss you’d share with a boy when you turn your head away quickly as his lips graze yours and land on the corner of your mouth. An act unfinished; whether you should feel guilty about it or not, you wouldn’t know,” I say. Oscar smiles at me as he plays with the big, round ring on his left-hand pinkie. “Don’t you know by now,” he says, absentmindedly, “a kiss is still a kiss?” I regard my lip mark on the glass. The lingering DNA of older kisses, and the residue of bone dust blended into the molecules of Paris soil blanketing the dead must have been transferred inside the tiny cracks of my red-lipsticked lips. I feel my lower lip with the tip of my tongue, and grimace as it sends the signals of a pungent aroma back to my brain for a thorough analysis. There, a tiny alarm goes off, warning me against the possible dangers of tasting a piece of an ancient cemetery. I pause for a moment to watch Oscar scribbling something rather hastily in his pocket journal. I touch the glass between us, a gesture of goodbye, and start walking toward the exit of
Cimetière du Père Lachaise, licking my lips.
Ecem Yucel (she/her) is an Ottawa-based Turkish writer and poet. She holds an MA in World Literatures and Cultures from the University of Ottawa. Her writing has recently appeared or is forthcoming in The Evergreen Review, Salamander Magazine, Stanchion, Idle Ink, Kissing Dynamite, Autofocus, The Daily Drunk, Celestite Poetry, Selcouth Station, and more. Find her at www.ecemyucel.com or on Twitter @TheEcemYucel.