Kissing

15+ Deep Poems about Kissing

(15 to start, 20+ to explore)

Poems about kissing capture this universal act of affection’s intimacy, tenderness, and passion. These verses may explore the allure of a first kiss, the comforting embrace of a familiar touch, or the electric spark of newfound love.

Through sensual language, poets convey the emotions and sensations accompanying a kiss, celebrating the beauty of human connection and the expression of love.

These poems evoke a range of sentiments, from innocence and desire to longing and nostalgia, reminding readers of the transformative power of a simple yet profound gesture of affection.

Poems about Kissing Visual Representation

Poem Explorer Poetry Archives

#1

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Loving Someone You Can't Have

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68

82

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Getting Back Together

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60

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80

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"> 82/100

Ae Fond Kiss

by Robert Burns

‘Ae Fond Kiss’ by Robert Burns is a Scottish poem describing the emotional parting of two lovers trapped in inevitable circumstances.

The repeated motif of kissing in 'Ae Fond Kiss' not only serves as a symbol of physical closeness but also encapsulates the enduring nature of the speaker's love, becoming an emblem of their shared intimacy, which will linger in memories echoing their passion. Each fond kiss becomes a poignant moment of emotional communion, a bittersweet testament to the depth of their connection. The act of kissing, although transient yet, is a powerful expression, echoing the speaker's reluctance to part.

Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;

Ae fareweel, and then forever!

Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,

Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.

#2

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"> 72/100

The Willing Mistress

by Aphra Behn

‘The Willing Mistress’ by Aphra Behn is an erotic poem wherein the speaker recounts her intimate moments with her lover in a grove.

The physical intimacy leading to a passionate sexual union between the speaker and Amyntas begins with kisses to seduce and ignite the speaker's passion, as she says, 'A many Kisses he did give,' which made her reciprocate, 'And I return'd the same,' indicating how the kisses make one feel loved, comforted and desired, kindling arousal. The gentle kisses convey the playfulness and flirtatious nature of intimacy while suggesting authentic affection, innocence, and mutual desire between the lovers that is beyond mere carnal satisfaction.

Amyntas led me to a Grove,

Where all the Trees did shade us;

The Sun it self, though it had Strove,

It could not have betray’d us:

#3

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Unrequited Love

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"> 65/100

Summum Bonum

by Robert Browning

‘Summum Bonum’ by Robert Browning is a fairly straightforward and memorable poem about love and how it is far more important, and valuable than any beautiful summer day or shining gemstone.

The image of kissing is the final part of the poem. The poet ends the text by informing readers that he desires love more than gemstones and pearls or all the beauty of the natural world.

All the breath and the bloom of the year in the bag of one bee:

All the wonder and wealth of the mine in the heart of one gem:

In the core of one pearl all the shade and the shine of the sea:

#4

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"> 40/100

A Night on the Island

by Pablo Neruda

‘A Night on the Island’ by Pablo Neruda is a lyric poem about intimacy between partners in a romantic relationship.

Neruda's 'A Night on the Island' ends with the speaker's lover kissing him. It is one of the more plainly stated physically intimate acts readers are made privy to. Neruda blends this action with a description of nature, thereby showing its rawness and depth.

The whole night long I have slept with you

next to the sea, on the island.

You were wild and gentle between pleasure and dreams,

between fire and water.

#5

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Death of a Loved One

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"> 36/100

In the Light of the Moon

by Delmira Agustini

‘In the Light of the Moon’ by Delmira Agustini explores the power of the moon. The speaker is drawn to the moon due to its white innocence and its power to soothe her soul.

Kissing is an important image in this poem. The poet describes the intense passion and longing that two lovers feel for each other, and kissing physically manifests their desire. Agustini's use of sensual language and vivid imagery in her descriptions of kissing emphasizes its erotic nature and power to convey intense emotion.

The moon is pallid and sad, the moon is bloodless and cold.

I imagine the half-moon as a profile of the dead ...

And beyond the rekilled and praised pallor

Of Arab pearls, I prefer the rose in recent bud.

#6

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Beautiful Women

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"> 25/100

Jenny Kiss’d Me

by Leigh Hunt

‘Jenny Kiss’d Me’ by Leigh Hunt is a powerful declaration of happiness in the face of the passage of time. A great deal of joy can be found in a single happy memory, the speaker suggests.

While the poem does not solely focus on kissing, a kiss is one of the poet's major images. Jenny kissed the speaker for one reason or another, and he still feels incredibly thankful for this happy memory.

Jenny kiss’d me when we met,

Jumping from the chair she sat in;

Time, you thief, who love to get

Sweets into your list, put that in!

#7

Answer

by Carol Ann Duffy

‘Answer’ uses earth, water, fire, air to symbolize love’s trials, affirming unwavering devotion with a resolute “yes, yes” to unity.

If you were made of stone,

your kiss a fossil sealed up in your lips,

your eyes a sightless marble to my touch,

your grey hands pooling raindrops for the birds,

#8

Fish Bouncing Kiss

by Riyas Qurana

‘Fish Bouncing Kiss’ by Riyas Qurana describes a moment between lovers which contains hundreds of other memories retold beneath a tree.

#9

Hour

by Carol Ann Duffy

‘Hour’ contrasts love’s timeless value against fleeting time, revealing riches in moments shared, beyond material wealth.

Love’s time’s beggar, but even a single hour,

bright as a dropped coin, makes love rich.

We find an hour together, spend it not on flowers

or wine, but the whole of the summer sky and a grass ditch.

#10

Humayun to Zobeida

by Sarojini Naidu

‘Humayun to Zobeida’ by Sarojini Naidu depicts a man who is upset with a woman who will not allow him to further their relationship.

You flaunt your beauty in the rose, your glory in the dawn,

Your sweetness in the nightingale, your white- ness in the swan.

#11

I Love You

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

‘I Love You’ by Ella Wheeler Wilcox describes the passionate, warm, and youthful love that exists between a speaker and her intended listener.

I love your lips when they’re wet with wine

And red with a wild desire;

I love your eyes when the lovelight lies

Lit with a passionate fire.

#12

Lovesong

by Ted Hughes

‘Lovesong’ by Ted Hughes is a six stanza poem that is separated into uneven sets of lines. The text is framed by two-line couplets that contain increasingly longs verses towards the third stanza.

He loved her and she loved him. His kisses sucked out her whole past and future or tried to He had no other appetite She bit him she gnawed him she sucked

#13

Modern Love: VI

by George Meredith

‘Modern Love: VI’ by George Meredith describes the speaker’s anguish after realizing that the woman he loves has moved on to another man.

It chanced his lips did meet her forehead cool.

She had no blush, but slanted down her eye.

Shamed nature, then, confesses love can die:

And most she punishes the tender fool

#14

Quai de la Tournelle

by John Dos Passos

‘Quai de la Tournelle’ by John Dos Passos is a poem about a lost love and how the sights and sounds of the Seine River in Paris bring that love to mind.

#15

Song: to Celia

by Ben Jonson

‘Song: to Celia’ by Ben Jonson describes the deep love which exists between the speaker and his lover and how it transcends normal bounds.

Drinke to me, onely, with thine eyes,

And I will pledge with mine;

Or leave a kisse but in the cup,

And Ile not looke for wine.

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