The Kiss

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt

 I've been in love with the idea of love for as long as I can remember. This is one of the first images I ever came across on the internet back in the 90s and it became my forum post avatar for everything I signed up to. Can you believe that it was considered pornographic in its own time? The idea that such tenderness could be pornographic is wild to me. 

It's a tenderness I've craved, but have never seen. Rarely glimpsed in other people's relationships. Physical intimacy between soulmates. I looked up tenderness in my handy dandy online thesaurus, searching for a word that somehow said it better. Nope, tenderness says it all. It's not quite passion, but it's deeper, more familiar. More intimate. Tenderness is a love that surpasses all. It's present at old age, caring for a loved one simply because you love them.

More amazingly, Gustav Klimt portrayed this feeling (that words can barely describe) in one simple painting. This painting tells me the story of two people who have been apart for too long, finally falling together in one loving embrace. What does it tell you?

 

The below picture was taken from a manifestation subreddit a couple years ago. It's a stark reminder that the tenderness and affection I want, comes from me.